


Torn

by Syrus



Category: Gyakuten Saiban | Ace Attorney
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-10-12
Updated: 2009-02-16
Packaged: 2017-12-19 04:29:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 39,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/879471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syrus/pseuds/Syrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Franziska von Karma knew she was irrevocably changed when she had come to terms with her losses to Phoenix Wright in court. From that point on, she knew it was time to change the way she had lived her whole life and start anew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**   Wow, I haven't posted any stories for the longest time, but finally I've gotten enough done to get started on posting this one! So, this story has become a _huge_ group project with me and some friends, and so I'd like to thank all of them for helping me out! Thank you to Kaz, who helped me with a significant section of the story, and who made Maya just a little more introspective rather than just annoying, and thank you to both Raferus and [](http://das-gericht.livejournal.com/profile)[**das_gericht**](http://das-gericht.livejournal.com/)  for helping with a bunch of the romantic parts!

Anyway, on to the story! :D

**Chapter 1**

_It was foolish to come here._ Franziska thought, her hands unconsciously fidgeting with her whip as she sat impatiently and anxiously for her name to be called.

 

She found it a little disconcerting that her whip would offer her no protection or intimidation for where she was going, but she put those thoughts out of her mind for the time being.  No matter how much her stomach turned in anticipation of this visit, this was something she had little choice in.  After all, this was the man that raised her and made her who she was.

 

She found her lip curling a little in disgust at that realization.

 

            _And what a person I was turning out to be…professionally impeccable with an intrinsically flawed moral compass.  Who knows how many innocent people I could have sent to their deaths?_

 

Before she could have any more guilty thoughts along that line, a voice caught her attention, “Miss von Karma…you may see him now.”

 

Giving the prison guard a hard look, she quickly coiled up her whip and followed him inside the visiting area.  There, behind a thick pane of glass, was one of the last men that she wanted to see.

 

            “Sit, Franziska.  We have much to talk about.” Manfred von Karma said, fixing her with a stern glare that brought back less than pleasant memories of her childhood.

 

Franziska looked at the floor and took a seat as was asked of her.  Even now, at the age of twenty one, she was hard pressed to disobey a direct order form her father.

 

            The moment she sat, von Karma continued to speak in a harsh tone, “I have heard of your numerous losses against Mr. Phoenix Wright, among other lowly defense attorneys.  What have you to say to this?”

 

Franziska just barely resisted the urge to flinch at this question, her hand gripping tight to her whip.

 

            Not looking up, she replied quietly but evenly, “I do not consider it a loss if the true perpetrator of the crime is caught and charged.”

 

            “True perpetrator?” von Karma repeated in a clearly mocking tone, and added a cold laugh, “The job of a prosecutor is to find the defendant guilty.  In a perfect trial with perfect witnesses.  Any defendant or defense attorney with the misfortune of facing us is doomed to that guilty verdict.  This is the only truth you need be concerned with.”

 

Usually not one to show any kind of defiance, this comment from her father caused her to raise her eyes to meet his with an intense look.  This caused the look on his face to change from just a plain scolding look to a contemptuous snarl.

 

            “I expected so much more from you, Franziska.  No doubt both of those fools, Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright, have been filling your head with all of this nonsense about the ‘truth.’”

 

            Franziska’s tone turned unusually harsh when compared to the relatively docile tone she usually used with her father, “Sending people who have not committed a crime to prison is a serious folly that I do not wish commit again, Papa.  And if it took such fools as Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix Wright to show me that, then so be it.”

 

Von Karma’s face showed his obvious shock at Franziska’s words before it quickly turned expressionless and he adopted the quiet, dangerous tone he always used when he was very angry, “This is unforgivable, Franziska.  With these foolish thoughts, you have irrevocably damaged your perfect trial record, and really what else can be done regarding this?  You know perfectly well that it is a prosecutor’s duty to have an impeccable record, and you used to understand that this record must be kept at all costs.”

 

Franziska said nothing, just fixing her father with a glare.  She’d learned the hard way just how many people’s lives get ruined that way, and she was certain there was no way she could go back to being the prosecutor she used to be in good conscience.  Von Karma took her glare and silence as an agreement to what he said, and he continued to speak.

 

            “I see no other option now but to get you married to a suitable man so you may have children that can be taught the proper way to uphold the von Karma family name.”

 

Franziska’s eyes widened just slightly.  How did her father even think that she would allow him to choose someone for her to marry, especially after all that had happened, and how she had changed?

 

            “I will do no such thing, Papa.” she said forcefully in a bout of defiance.

 

            _He is in prison.  He can do nothing to me now._ Franziska assured herself, just barely suppressing the shudder that was about to course through her at the outraged look that had sprung onto her father’s face.

 

            “Though you may have lost sight of what it means to be a perfect prosecutor, I have not.  This is the only way you may recompense for your failures, as there is no hope for your career now.”

 

            Suddenly words were flying out of her mouth, and she knew the thick glass wall separating the two of them had something to do with the sudden barrage, “I do not want a career that is remotely like yours, Papa.  Perhaps I never did.  All my life, I had just strived to please you and live up to your name, not knowing what I was doing or what exactly I was turning into.  I’m so glad I finally found the truth.”

 

A sense of liberation suddenly blossomed inside of her as she said the things she had wanted to say to her father for years, and she pushed the last few words out of her mouth before her father had a chance to speak.

 

            “If what I was turning into is what it means to be a true von Karma, I want no part in it.”

 

Abruptly she stood up from her chair.

 

            “This meeting is over.” she said with a sense of finality, throwing one last glare over her shoulder before she left her father staring after her in a furious kind of shock.

 

* * *

  



	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

 

A few days after the visit with her father, Franziska still felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of her.  She realized then that telling him that she refused to let herself become what he had was what she needed to do for her own well being.  Feeling decidedly happier than she had in years, she set herself to finishing off the last of the paperwork she had to complete in relation to the last trial she had participated in, when Detective Gumshoe walked into her office.

 

            At the glare he got for entering unannounced, he suddenly took on a timid and apologetic posture, motioning to a file folder he was holding in his hand and saying, “Ahh, Miss von Karma.  I was told to give this to you.  It’s in regard to a new case that’s come in.  It’s supposed to go to trial in a week.”

 

Franziska stood from her desk and approached the detective to accept the file and replied in a no-nonsense kind of tone, “Give me the background and summary of this case.  Now.”

 

“Umm…right.  Brandon Hyde is the defendant in this case and he’s been accused of killing Chad Wilson due to what we believe was a failed drug deal.” Gumshoe said, fidgeting slightly as he spoke, Franziska always usually making him nervous when he spoke with her, “I mean, it seems like an open and shut case mostly, because the defendant’s fingerprints are found on the weapon, and other witnesses saw him around that area at the time of the murder.  But there is one thing that just doesn’t fit.”

 

“And what would that be?” Franziska asked, raising an eyebrow at the detective and gripping her whip tightly.

 

“U-umm…there was some hair that was found on the scene that wasn’t the defendant’s or the victim’s.” Gumshoe replied with a slightly quivering tone, preparing himself for getting whipped, since he was never quite sure when it would come.

 

Her glare at him found a way to get more intense and she said, “Well, that would obviously make not open and shut, now isn’t it?  Find out whose hair it could be and the backgrounds of both the victim and the defendant immediately.  This information will be vital to the case.”

 

“Yes, sir.” Gumshoe quickly said, practically stumbling over his feet as he left the room to find the information that she wanted.

 

Letting out a sigh of irritation when the detective had left, she took the file that he handed to her and began to inspect the contents, wanting to familiarize herself with the case as soon as possible.

 

* * *  


Franziska wondered how the case had come to this.  From what Gumshoe found out, the defendant didn’t seem as someone who would murder anyone, and the unidentified hair was of a person that didn’t originally seem involved with the case, but was known to reside in San Fransisco.  Now, not only did she have to travel all the way from Los Angeles to San Francisco to complete her investigation on this trial, she was forced to make this journey with Phoenix Wright since he was the defense attorney on the case. 

 

            _How unfortunate that I have spend all of this time with that foolish fool.  What a waste._ she thought disdainfully, dragging her suitcase along in irritation.

 

And Phoenix struggled to keep up behind her, but it was difficult for him to match her fast pace.

 

            “Hurry up, Phoenix Wright!  I will not let you make us miss our plane!” she said harshly, flicking her whip in his direction in annoyance.

 

            “I don’t think we have anything to worry about, Miss von Karma.  We’re practically at the gate more than half an hour before the plane is supposed to leave.” Phoenix replied, huffing slightly from the effort of carrying his suitcase, and just barely dodging her whip.

 

At this, Franziska completely stopped in her tracks, causing Phoenix to almost stumble into her with the sudden stop, and then she spun around to give him a threatening look.

 

            Poking at his chest with the whip, she said, “I will not take any chances.  If we miss the plane, it will be _your_ head.”

 

            Taking a gulp and then giving her a slightly sheepish look, he replied, “I think we’ll be fine.”

 

She just gave him a glare, and then turned to continue walking toward the gate.  Phoenix let out a small sigh of relief, just glad she didn’t decide to whip him right then.  Thankfully, when it was time for the plane to leave, they got on without a hitch.  Franziska, always liking to be in charge of things, took the lead in directing the both of them to their seats.  First class, of course.  Franziska would accept nothing less.

 

And since she wanted everything to go exactly according to plan, she made sure his ticket was the seat next to hers, since this way she could watch him at every second and make sure he would do nothing that would cause her timeline to get disrupted, even if she would be forced to be around him for nearly three days straight. 

 

They both took a seat after safely stowing their luggage and Franziska pointedly ignored the safety video shown before take off, having seen it dozens of times on her flights to and from Germany, but she glanced over to Phoenix and saw he was watching it intently with a slightly worried expression on his face.  She dismissed this as silly behavior from a foolish man, and looked away again.

 

Finally, the plane began to take off.  Franizka set herself to look out the window as the plane began to rise, but a gasp to her right caught her attention.  She was shocked to see Phoenix looking absolutely terrified.  He was gripping the arm rests for dear life and he seemed to be having difficulty breathing.

 

            “What is the matter, Phoenix Wright?” Franziska barked at him, raising an eyebrow at him in question.

 

            “I…don’t do so well with heights…” Phoenix said through a pinched breath.

 

            Narrowing her eyes at him, her tone softened just slightly as she said, “Don’t be a fool.  There is no reason to feel fear.”

 

Phoenix could tell that Franziska was attempting to comfort him in her own way, so he gave her a weak smile.  At this she gave him a big ‘humph’ and looked away once more.  When the plane leveled out and all that could be seen out of the window were white, puffy clouds, Phoenix let out a breath of relief and finally relaxed.

 

Now that Franziska could see that Phoenix seemed to be recovering from his mild panic attack, she realized she felt something rather strange.  A mild feeling of concern for his well being and relief that his panic was just brief.    
  
            She shook her head a little and thought in irritation at these unfamiliar feelings, _I refuse to fool myself into even considering that it is anything more than relief that Phoenix Wright’s foolish phobias will not cause an inconvenience to my plans during this trip._

 

Since this was a rather short flight of about three hours, the rest of it passed without any other significant events.  Phoenix panicked slightly when they began to touch down, but she noticed that the panic seemed to be considerably less than when they took off.  She wondered briefly about why that was, but she pushed those thoughts away in favor of getting them to their hotel promptly as possible.

 

Phoenix was shocked when they finally arrived at their hotel, it being much more fancy than he was expecting it to be.  His mouth practically had dropped open when he saw how well decorated and ornate the place seemed to be, and all the service they got immediately when they stepped inside. 

 

Franziska motioned to Phoenix to follow her with her whip and then she made her way to the elevator to get up to the sixth floor where their rooms were.

 

            “Miss von Karma…” Phoenix began to speak with some nervousness, “This hotel is…really nice.  I’m not exactly sure how I’d be able to pay — ”

 

Sending the whip suddenly in Phoenix’s direction to give him a little warning slap on the arm and she spoke harshly, “Do you take me for a fool, Phoenix Wright?  I am of course aware of your pitiful salary.  I have paid for both of our rooms to prevent anything from getting in the way of this trip’s efficiency.”

 

Phoenix rubbed his arm where the whip hit him, and he mumbled, “Umm, thanks.”

 

            As they walked over to their rooms from the elevator, Franziska added, “Since we have arrived her early enough, we should start investigating immediately.  So get ready and meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”

 

Phoenix was a bit tired from the trip, but he didn’t even think of arguing with her, especially with the way she was looking at him and the way she gripped her whip in her hand.

 

            “Alright, I’ll be there.”

 

* * *


	3. Torn - Chapter 3

** Chapter 3 **

 

Franziska informed Phoenix that she obtained a search warrant that enabled them to search the home of Jared Lucca, the man whose hair was found on the scene of the crime that wasn’t from the defendant or the victim.  She drove the both of them to the man’s apartment complex, parked, waiting for the police to meet them before leading the way up.

 

Franziska walked briskly to the apartment, unconsciously staying a bit closer to Phoenix as they walked, the area this complex was in being less than desirable.  She wasted no time when they walked up to the door, knocking sharply and waiting for a response.  Finally they got one. 

 

A seedy looking young man opened the door and eyed both she and Phoenix suspiciously, not seeing the police since they were a bit further down the hall.

           

            “What do you want?” he asked very rudely with narrowed eyes.

 

            Raising an eyebrow, Franziska handed him the piece of paper she was holding on to, saying, “We have a warrant to search the premises with the police.”

 

This caused the man to suddenly get a panicked look on his face, and he looked ready to bolt, but this was about when he realized that the police were with Franziska and Phoenix, so he had no choice but to step aside and let all of them in.

 

            “Let’s do this quickly, Phoenix Wright.” she said with haste, leaving unsaid that the faster they got this done, the faster they could get out of this sordid place.

 

She decided to begin searching one of the inside rooms and she directed Phoenix to search the bedroom, leaving the living room/kitchen area to the police.  Lucca watched all of them anxiously, his eyes darting back and forth as the police began their search of the outside rooms.

 

Searching for many minutes, Franziska decided to call it quits with her search, since it had turned up nothing.  She was about to check with Phoenix to see if he found anything when he suddenly poked his head into the room she was in.

 

            “Miss von Karma…I think I’ve found something.” he said, motioning to her to follow him.

 

Quickly leaving the room she was in, she followed after Phoenix to see what he might have uncovered.  Leading her toward the bed in the room, he motioned to a ratty duffle bag he pulled out from behind a set of drawers.  When Phoenix opened the bag to show her what was inside, there was stacks of money with blood all over it.

 

            “Something makes me think this is money having something to do with the drug deal the defendant was involved in.  And the fact that it’s here, and with blood on it makes it nothing good for Mr. Lucca at all.  We should have the police find out who’s blood this is, because if it’s our victim’s, we have our man.” Phoenix said, picking up the bag and exiting the room with Franziska, then handing the bag to the detective in charge of this case.

 

While Phoenix was explaining to the detective what he thought about the bag and blood test he thought should be done, Franziska shifted her eyes over and saw Lucca giving both of them a dark but silent look.  Though the look made her shiver a little internally, she kept that from reaching her face. 

 

When the police determined that they had enough evidence, and that it was time to leave, Franziska glared at Lucca and said, “The investigation for this case should be done shortly.  It would not be wise for you to try to leave the city until the investigation is concluded, so I would recommend staying put.”

 

Lucca didn’t say anything in response, just glaring in return.  Franziska, Phoenix, and the police quickly made their way out with all the evidence they collected, deciding to call it a day, since they found a good amount of evidence that would move the case forward.

 

The police made their way back to the station, while Franziska and Phoenix started going back to their hotel.  One thing that neither Phoenix nor Franziska noticed was the large yellow car following behind theirs.

*** * ***

Slowly making their way down the streets of San Fransisco, with Franziska driving a little slower since she was unfamiliar with the streets in the area, they both were sure that they had this case in the bag, the defendant obviously being innocent with this newly uncovered evidence.

 

Franziska determined that they had to make a right turn at the next signal, and as she was doing so, they both heard a car revving loudly right near them, catching both of their attentions.

            “Look out, Miss von -- !!” Phoenix started to say in absolute shock before he was cut off by a yellow car hurtling towards them at high speed, driving over the sidewalk and then crashing into them.

 

Franziska didn’t even have a chance to react since by the time she figured out what was happening, the car she and Phoenix were in was already spinning out of control, causing her head to bang against her door window.  When the car finally stopped moving, her head was spinning slightly and she heard a loud groan of pain to her right.  Turning her head in that direction as gently as she could, she saw Phoenix with his head slumped back against the headrest of his seat.

 

After further examination when her eyes cleared, his right arm and leg were obviously injured during the impact, and he was blinking sleepily as if he were trying to stay awake.  Franziska lightly touched her neck and arms, trying to stretch the best she could in the crumpled car to determine what harm might have been done to her, happy to find out that her own injuries were minor. 

 

Hearing the groan again, she suddenly realized that Phoenix must be trapped in his seat.  With the adrenaline beginning to rush now, she pushed her door open and circled the car to get to Phoenix’s side.  The passenger side door had completely caved in due to the impact, so she wasn’t even certain if the door was completely functional. 

 

Even if Phoenix was a complete fool in her book, his life was in her hands now, and she knew that she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t do whatever she could to save him.  With this thought in mind, she grabbed as much was left of the door handle and pulled with all her might.  Just when she was about to let go and give up, the door creaked under the strain of being forced open after it had been crushed like a can.

 

After she opened the door a sufficient amount, she tried to determine the best way to get Phoenix out to minimize injuring him more.  Since his right arm and leg seemed to be hurt, she couldn’t exactly pull on them to get him out, so she had no choice but to bend beside him and hoist his right arm over her shoulder to try to get his weight supported by her as she pulled him out.

 

Phoenix groaned louder as Franziska helped him out of the wreckage.  She noticed that he was having trouble keeping his eyes open and was wobbling horribly even on his good leg. Unable to support his weight for long, she took him a few feet away from the crushed car and laid him as gently as she could on the ground.

 

“Stay awake, Phoenix Wright.  The ambulance will be here soon.” Franziska said sternly, kneeling by him and gently supporting his head so that it would not touch the ground, and scrambling for her cell phone in her pocket to call 911, relating the situation to the dispatcher as quickly as she could.

 

With another soft groan, Phoenix murmured, “Franziska…”

 

She noticed that he was having trouble keeping his eyes focused, and that his eyes looked like they were slowly about to shut.  


“Phoenix Wright!” she said again, feeling a strange sort of desperation, not wanting his eyes to close.

 

Franziska brought her hand up to her face and was surprised to find tears were collecting there.  Why in the world was she crying?  She sat with him, holding his head, unaware of the people that had gathered around the accident scene, only breathing a sigh of relief when she heard the ambulance sirens getting closer.

 

The paramedics quickly parked the ambulance and got out to survey the scene.  She only moved away from Phoenix and allowed them to look at her as well when she was sure he was being taken care of.  They quickly transferred him to a stretcher to take him into the ambulance, and Franziska insisted on coming along with them.  
  
 _The fool will just get into trouble if he was taken by himself._ Franziska told herself as she frantically tried to dry her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that she really wanted to go along with him to make sure he was alright.

 

* * *


	4. Torn - Chapter 4

** Chapter 4 **

 

Phoenix slowly felt himself come back into consciousness, his body feeling a little strange, specifically the right side of his body.  As he woke up more, he felt himself laying on something soft.  He was so tempted to let himself fall back into sleep since he was so comfortable, but suddenly the memories of the accident rushed back to him. 

 

His eyes shot open and he tried to move, but he quickly realized he was in a hospital bed and his right arm and leg were casts, restricting his movement considerably.  His eyes then darted around and found a nurse call button near his bed.  
  
 _Franziska_ _!  I have to find out if she is alright!  I was too out of it after the accident to know really what was going on, so I’m not sure what happened.  All I can guess is that she helped me out of the car, but I don’t know if she was hurt too!_ Phoenix thought, feeling a little frantic, hoping that she didn’t hurt herself trying to help him, pressing the nurse call button by his bed several times to get attention.

 

“Ahh, Mr. Wright.  You’re up.  How do you feel?” the nurse asked, picking up and writing things on the clipboard by his bed.  


“Franziska…I mean, Miss von Karma.  Is she alright?” he asked in concern, ignoring the nurses other questions.

 

“Ahh, the forceful woman that carries around that whip?” the nurse asked in return, scrunching her eyebrows in thought.

 

“Yes, that’s her.” Phoenix said, “Was she okay?”

 

The nurse chuckled just slightly and replied, “Well, just earlier today she threatened to punish our best doctor if you weren’t taken care of appropriately, so I’d say.”

 

With a small smile on her face she continued, “You must be so happy to have such a protective and caring girlfriend.”

 

“Wha--?” Phoenix said at first in confusion, and then his face turned red as he stuttered, “Oh, ahh…w-we’re not…”

 

The nurse either didn’t hear or chose not to listen to what Phoenix last said, just telling him to take it easy in bed and to press the button again if he needed something.  He decided that there was nothing he could do then but get comfortable, and perhaps sleep some more.

 

He closed his eyes and let himself doze off a bit, but after some time, he heard someone approaching his bed, so he cracked open an eye to see Franziska standing near him.

 

            “Miss von Karma…I’m really glad to see that you’re okay.” Phoenix said, giving her a small smile.

 

            “Of course I am, fool.  You should be more concerned about yourself.” Franziska said, trying to brush aside his concern, but secretly feeling a bit warm inside knowing that he was worried about her even after being hurt as badly as he was, “The doctor has informed me that you have a broken arm and leg in addition to a concussion.  The assailant that rammed us with his car was the man we figured out to be the murderer in our case and he died on impact.”

 

            In a somber tone, Phoenix replied, “It’s sad to hear that we won’t get to try him for his crime, but at least he’s not out there hurting anyone else.”

 

            “Yes.” she replied in a hard tone, her mouth in a tight line as she thought about the man who could have killed them.

 

Then an awkward silence settled in the room since neither of them knew what more to say to each other.  Phoenix tried to figure out something he could say to her that wouldn’t result in him getting whipped, but Franziska interrupted his thoughts.  
  
            “Since we figured out the true perpetrator before this accident, the defendant in our case can now be released, so I will take care of dropping the charges against him right now.  I will be back to check on your progress later.” she said in a slightly standoffish tone, not wanting to seem as if she was too concerned for Phoenix’s well being.

 

Phoenix caught this tone and he gave her a small smile and said, “Alright.  I guess I’ll just see you later.”

 

Franziska refused to acknowledge his smile, knowing if she did, it would cause her to blush slightly.  Instead she just gave him a nod and abruptly left the room.  Phoenix then just settled back down in a comfortable position and closed his eyes once again.

 

* * *

 

Some more days in the hospital passed similarly for Phoenix, being some of the most boring in his life, so he was especially glad when he heard from the doctor that he’d be well enough to leave within a few more days.  He never had liked hospital atmospheres very much, and being forced to live there for some days wasn’t what he’d call a good time. 

 

Although, he had to say, his day was always brightened when Franziska visited him.  Even if her visits consisted mostly of her calling him a fool fifty different times, he always enjoyed her presence, somehow feeling, deep down, that she really did care about his well being.

 

While waiting for his doctor to come and give him a final check over before he was released, Franziska finally came to see what the doctor said herself.  
  
            Smiling when she walked into his hospital room door, he said, “He said that I would probably be released today if everything comes out fine.”

 

Raising a slightly teasing eyebrow, Franziska replied, “What a pity that this fool will then be released back on the world.”

 

Phoenix was trying to think of a snappy comeback to that, always enjoying their exchanges, but he was interrupted when the doctor walked in.  


The doctor smiled, taking a last look at Phoenix’s chart, “Good morning, Mr. Wright.  You’ll be glad to hear that all fractures and bone breakages have healed a good amount in the days you’ve been here, so we think you are well enough to leave.  But, I still would strongly discourage any unnecessary travel since your bones are still setting, and too much movement may significantly slow down his healing process.”

 

Narrowing his eyebrows in thought, Phoenix said, “So, maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to make the trip back to L.A. at this time then?”

 

“I think not.  It really would be too risky.” The doctor said, looking one more time at Phoenix’s chart.

 

“How much time until you think I’m well enough to make the trip back?”

 

Putting a thoughtful face on, the doctor finally said, “Another two to three weeks should be sufficient healing time.”

 

Phoenix barely resisted the urge to pout.  This would mean him having to spend even more time in the hospital, since he was sure he’d have trouble taking care of himself otherwise in this state.

 

Franziska, who was silent this whole time, finally put her word in, “I will take Mr. Phoenix Wright back to the hotel and we can stay there until he recuperates enough to be able to leave.”

 

At this, Phoenix looked at Franziska in shock, “Oh, you don’t have to stay longer in San Fransisco just for this.  I can get along myself okay.”  
  
            Franziska just scoffed and replied forcefully, “Nonsense.  And anyway, this case has been closed, and the defendant is obviously innocent.  I am not needed back in Los Angeles at this time either.”

 

Phoenix had long learned that was a tone that he shouldn’t argue with, so he stuck to saying, “Ahh, alright.  Thank you.”

 

“Well, with all that settled, I’ll just get you the forms to sign, Mr. Wright, and then you’re free to go.” the doctor said with a small nod, quickly leaving the room to get the papers needed.  
  
            Franziska then said, “I will now go make the preparations to transport you to the hotel.”  
  
            As she was just striding out of the door, Phoenix quickly said after her, “Really…thank you.”

 

Hearing that, she turned and said, “There is no way I would allow such a foolish fool to hurt himself even worse due to incapabilities on his part.”

 

Turning again on her heel, she left the room without another word.  Though her words were a bit harsh, he knew she didn’t mean them to insult him.  She really had a peculiar way of expressing care for someone else, but in the long run, that didn’t really matter.  He was just happy that now they seemed able to have a real conversation without her being condescending all of the time, this thought made him smile again.


	5. Torn - Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 **

The days passed as Franziska took care of Phoenix and helped him recuperate from his injuries.  She, at first, had thought that these would be an incredibly long and grueling two weeks with him, since she would have to stop herself from whipping him even when she felt that he absolutely deserved it, since he was already injured.

 

Although, as time went on, she was surprised to find out that the times she thought he deserved a whipping were quite few, and, as hard a time as she admitting it, she found herself enjoying his company much of the time, really never having someone she considered a friend in her past, the only person coming close being her little brother, Miles Edgeworth.

 

But something about Phoenix was different to her, she realized.  This “friendship” with him felt nothing like her relationship with Miles, but she couldn’t place her finger on why exactly.  He certainly did say a lot more foolish things than Miles ever did, but it didn’t bother her as much as the things the foolish subordinates she had to deal with at work.

 

Usually she had little patience for foolishness, but sometimes he said things that she found strangely endearing.  Not that she ever let him know that, but admitting this to herself was a huge feat in itself, especially since she’d kept herself from drawing close to most people in her life.

 

She’d been taught that depending on people was weak, and sharing your thoughts and feelings with them was weaker, but Phoenix did this so freely, she wondered how it was so easy for him.  Did he not consider this sort of behavior foolish?  To allow oneself to be vulnerable in front of another…that was definitely something her father had strictly taught them never to do.

 

To have vulnerabilities at all was a sign of imperfection in her father’s eyes and to reveal them to another person was simply unthinkable.  Yet, now, Phoenix made her want to fall into the temptation of revealing her true feelings about things the more time she spent around him.  

 

_The fool’s foolish ways have addled my brain._ Franziska grumbled to herself as she stepped unlocked the door to their hotel room, returning after ironing out the final details that were necessary to take care of in dropping all charges the prosecutor’s office had against the defendant in their case.   
  
She had decided to move the both of them into a larger room in the hotel to make things easier on the both of them, so that she wouldn’t have to foolishly run between her room and his if he needed help. 

 

And, even if she’d never tell Phoenix, she did like spending time with him, although his foolishness had to be corrected often.  With this thought in mind, she quickly glanced around the room for him as she entered, but came up with a negative result.

 

After confirming that Phoenix was nowhere to be found inside the suite, Franziska made her way to the balcony. Unsurprisingly, there she found Phoenix, staring out at nothing, and as she opened her mouth to inform him of what a foolish thing he was doing she heard raised voices coming from the room over.  
  
"So, Phoenix Wright, you are out here foolishly listening to the foolish arguments of other fools?" She said to announce her presence, whip curled up in her hand though she had no intention of using it, yet.

 

Phoenix had decided to get some fresh air outside on the balcony of their suite, not getting to leave the hotel room much since it was so difficult to move around with the wheelchair.  But now he was just lost in thoughts about how nice Franziska was being to him ever since he returned from the hospital.  She really didn’t have to go through all this trouble for him, and it really touched him that she did.  
  
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Franziska talking to him.  He shook his head slightly and gave her a small smile and said, “No, I just wanted to get some air.”

 

Before Franziska could answer, the more dominant voice seemed to increase in volume and she paused. One particular phrase stood out among the others and brought back memories of her own childhood, of her father. _Why can't you do anything right?_  
  
"It is not as uncommon a phrase to say to children as I thought. Perhaps my father had some justification when saying it to me, if that is so." She mused, thinking back to her childhood and the 'perfect image' that she had been pressed into.

Phoenix looked at her in surprise and he quickly shook his head, speaking gently, "No way...it's never okay to say that to your kid.  Kids make mistakes all the time...they don't deserve to be spoken to that way even if they do something the parent doesn't like."

 

Turning to look at him, Franziska was surprised at the softness she heard in his voice and saw in his features. The look in his eye made it seem as if he genuinely did believe it, and it made her pause for a moment before she replied. "Are you certain of that, Phoenix Wright? It does not appear that many others share your foolish ideals. "

 

Phoenix heard the slight bit of hesitance in Franziska's tone when she spoke so he replied, "I'm sure of it.  Kids sometimes have to be disciplined, but they shouldn't be made to hate themselves in the process."

 

That comment from Phoenix struck just a little too close to home, so she quickly broke eye contact with him and said, “Perhaps that is true.”

 

Phoenix noticed the quiet pain in her tone and so he rolled his way a bit closer to her, and he did the unthinkable in his want to just comfort her for the emotional abuse he knew she must have suffered at the hands of von Karma.  He reached forward and lightly touched her hand, the one that was free of the whip, in a comforting gesture.  
  
Franziska looked at him in shock, first, because she was not used to people touching her, and second, because she was not used to receiving comfort from another person that wanted nothing from her except for her to feel better.  Then the comforting look in his eyes made her feel a strange sort of warm feeling in her chest, and her uncertainty now brought some color to her cheeks.

 

She let him touch her for a moment that was a bit more prolonged than she would have allowed most others, but then she quickly pulled away from him to walk forward to lean against the edge of the balcony.  Phoenix stayed silent, but he watched her carefully, almost feeling her pain himself, just wishing there was something he could do to help.

 

“Papa only pushed us to be what he thought was best.  I’ve realized now that he just didn't see how obtaining that perfection would truly affect us.” Franziska said in a bitter, yet vulnerable tone, looking out in front of her, not wanting to meet eyes with Phoenix at all.

 

Phoenix was silent another moment, then rolling a bit closer to her and saying with a small, but encouraging smile, “No matter what he said or did, you’ve still turned out to be a great person.”

 

This direct compliment made her cheeks color even more, for a moment she was struck speechless.  Then a hesitant smile just touched her lips and she turned to face him, saying, “You truly are a fool, Phoenix Wright.”

 

Phoenix found himself blushing a little himself, but the smile didn’t leave his face.  Finally, Franziska spoke again.

 

“I am going back inside.  Would you like to come with me?”

 

“Sure.” Phoenix said in a quiet tone, turning the wheelchair around so that he’d be facing their hotel room again.

 

She then stepped behind him to push him inside, wondering just how and when this foolish man had begun to work his way into her heart.

 

* * *


	6. Torn - Chapter 6

** Chapter 6 **

Maya Fey was happily sorting files, though most might see this as a terribly boring job, in the cabinets behind Phoenix's desk in the Wright & CO law offices.

 

She was humming the theme to the Steel Samurai and at the same time having a conversation with Charlie the plant. Things were quite good right now. Business had picked up and her spiritual powers had grown stronger. Also, the weather was great outside.

  
It was then she noticed Phoenix walking into his office with a preoccupied expression on his face. 

 

Phoenix had taken a long break from work after his accident, so now that he'd recovered, he knew it was time to get back to work.  But his thoughts kept on being invaded by a certain whip-wielding prosecutor, and he was pretty sure why.

 

"Oh Nick! You're back!" Maya cheerfully greeted her boss. He, however, didn't look so cheerful. In fact, he looked almost troubled.

 

"Nick? Are you okay?"

 

Looking startled when Maya suddenly talked to him he said, "Oh, hey Maya.  Yeah, I'm fine."

 

He wasn't so anxious to relate his problem to her, but he was sure she would get it out of him somehow eventually.

 

"Oh come on Nick! Like I'll fall for that! Your face is like an open book! Anyone could read your thoughts!" It was true, he was easy to read.

 

"Come on Nick." She was whining now. "Tell me! I can help!"

 

Phoenix barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes, knowing that whatever advice she gave him would probably be bad advice, but he figured that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to talk to someone about this.  Franziska von Karma really wasn't all that much of an approachable person all together, but after the accident, she seemed to improve in that aspect just a little, if only to him.

 

"Oh, I don't know Maya...it's really not that important..."

 

"Nick! You're obviously spacing out! Of course its important! You can't work your cases if you can't think straight y'know!"

 

She puffed her cheeks out and her hands were fists. She looked a lot like a child who wasn't getting his or her way.

 

As much as he hated to admit it, Maya was right in that regard.  And God forbid if he had to face Franziska in court again.  This, and the fact that Maya would never let it go until she squeezed it out of him, now that she had an idea that something was up.

 

"Ummm..." Phoenix started out hesitantly, "Alright...well...there's this...person..."

 

"NICK! You're in love?! Who is it? Come on! Tell me!"

 

She was like an excited puppy practically bouncing in front of him, just dying to hear his answer.

 

_Who could it be?_ she thought in absolute excitement.

 

Phoenix felt his face redden considerably at Maya's reaction to his words, and he wondered what he was even thinking mentioning this to Maya at all.

 

"Ummm...yeah...ummm...Miss von Karma..." Phoenix mumbled almost too quietly to be heard.

 

Maya fell silent and stopped bouncing. Instead she was gaping. She was, to be frank, nothing short of dumbfounded.

 

"You're in love with Frannie?! The woman who's nearly whipped you to death thrice?!" Well, love was definitely a strange thing.

 

"Ummm...she...she took care of me, Maya.  She didn't have to...and...she's not so bad when you get to know her, you know?  At least she stopped whipping me as much." Phoenix said, finishing with a sheepish grin.

 

Maya didn't look convinced. "Nick... you still cower before her and sometimes look for cover when she enters the room. I know she's not a bad person but... you're so strange Nick." She started to giggle, "Well, your choice is your business, so I won't say anything else about it. So you're in love with Frannie, huh? That's actually kind of cute."

 

Phoenix's face got even more red as he said, "You'd better not tell anyone else.  I...I don't know what she'd do if she found out."

 

"Well, I suppose Frannie can be a bit unreasonable sometimes. But let's not fret! I'll give you some tips so that you can sweep her off her feet in no time!" She took a superhero stance and looked very determined.

 

Phoenix put a hand to his forehead and wondered exactly what he'd gotten himself into.  Letting out a sigh, he resigned himself to listening to her "advice".  He probably wouldn't take any of it, but she seemed so intent on telling him, the least he could do was listen.

 

"Alright! First things first! Be a gentleman! You know, open the door for her, be polite, try to hold a conversation with her without her calling you a fool. No wait, that might be too high a goal, settle for having a conversation with her without having her whip you."

 

"Ummm, okay." Phoenix said, thinking it might be too high a goal to have a conversation with Franziska when he wasn't injured without her calling him a fool or whipping him.

 

But the "being a gentleman" part wasn't such a bad idea.

 

"Offer to buy her lunch! Pay attention to what she says! Don't embarrass yourself in front of her! Be smooth when it comes to your flirting... that might be hard for you though. And uh... ice cream! Buy her ice cream! There was this one fic on Lawyer Love's forums where uhm... this guy bought this other guy ice cream and the guy really appreciated it so they had sex in the first guy’s penthouse apartment." Nick did not need to know that Mr. Edgeworth had bought Nick an ice cream in that fiction, it was probably too much information.

 

"WHAT?!? Maya I...I don't want to have sex with her!  I-I mean, not right when she's willing to talk to me without whipping me.  N-not to say that I _do_ want to sleep with her!" Phoenix said, sounding all mixed up, his face bright red.

 

Calming himself down slightly after a moment, he continued, "You need to stop reading those stories!"

 

"Nick, you are so transparent, you know that?" She could obviously tell that Phoenix wanted to sleep with her. Maybe not right away, but he definitely wanted to, "And why should I? They're good! And you always tell me to read more often!"

 

"You know that's not what I meant when I said that!" Phoenix snapped at her, knowing she was right when she said his emotions were like an open book.

 

He did have the tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve.

 

"Hmpf. Anyways, Nick. You know what to do! Win her heart! Sweep her off her feet and carry her into the sunset! Be sure to invite me to the wedding, okay?" She grinned brightly towards her boss.

 

"Wha--?  I haven't worked up the nerve to have a conversation with her not related to work and you're already planning our wedding?  Don't get ahead of yourself, Maya." Phoenix said incredulously.

 

"I'm not planning your wedding! I just said that if you get married, you should invite me!" The childish look with the puffed cheeks was back.

 

"Anyway, when talking to Frannie you must use a big vocabulary, she's impressed by that kind of thing you know. Your vocabulary is big and all... until you get scared out of your mind. Which is a problem. Hmm." She became thoughtful.

 

"She does not scare me out of my mind!  I just...don't like saying...things that upset her.  Which seems to be more often than I'd like." Phoenix protested.

 

"Uhuh, tell the one about Santa Clause while you’re at it, Nick. She does scare you!" She seemed thoughtful for awhile.

 

"Maybe we should go and ask Mr. Edgeworth for some tips? You told me that he seemed fine he was talking to her despite the fact that she was almost yelling. And she's his sister! Maybe he can help!"

 

"No!" Phoenix said more vehemently than he meant to when Maya mentioned asking Miles for help.

 

Miles was the last person he wanted to think about, and especially the last person he wanted to find out about how he felt about Franziska now.  He also wanted to avoid Maya trying to solve the problem between them and make things worse.  Miles made himself clear when they had talked, so he just had to leave at that, no matter how much he didn’t want to.

 

He shook himself out of his thoughts when he saw Maya giving him a surprised look at his tone.  A sheepish smile snuck onto his face as he softened his tone, "Umm...no.  He'll just laugh in my face.  And that would just be weird."

 

"But..." Maya felt troubled. There was obviously something more behind this, but it didn't seem like the right time to pry. She sighed, defeated.

 

"Alright Nick, we won't go to Mr. Edgeworth."

 

Phoenix let out a sigh of relief, glad that Maya had not put up too much of a fight over it, not knowing how he’d be able to keep dodging her questions about things otherwise.   

 

"I wish I knew how she felt...I mean, sure she took care of me, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything." Phoenix said, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

 

Maya patted his shoulder. "It'll be fine, Nick.  Trust me.  Things always work out in the end!"

 

At this, a small smile came to his face.  Maya had a habit of butting her head where it didn't belong, but he knew she always had good intentions.

 

"I really hope so." he said, his tone hopeful.

 

Maya hugged him. "You'll see, Nick, it will work out for the best. And if not naturally, then I'll help it along."

 

"Umm...thanks Maya." Phoenix said, hugging her back.

 

He was glad for her support and all, but he hoped that she wouldn't meddle too much.  He felt like his chances with Franziska were rather low already, so he didn't want to jeopardize them any further.

 

* * *

  



	7. Torn - Chapter 7

** Chapter 7 **

 

Later that week, Nick had to leave the office and pick up something at his apartment, so Maya took this chance to call Mr. Edgeworth. She was going to find out why Nick was troubled and get help with Franziska at the same time. It was the perfect opportunity.

 

* * *

  
Miles Edgeworth heard his phone ringing, and since work was already stressing him out, he answered his phone rather sourly, "Hello?"

 

"... I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Edgeworth... but it's... it's about Nick."

 

_Wow, I don’t think ever heard anyone sound that annoyed before. Creepy, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all._   she thought, getting ready to quickly hang up.

 

"Oh, Maya?" Miles' tone softened, now feeling a little embarrassed for making her feel bad about calling.

 

In a moment, he processed the rest of her statement, he spoke in concern, "Is something wrong with Wright?"

 

"Well... not exactly. It's... well, the first question would be: why doesn't he want to talk to you? What has happened between the two of you for that to happen! I thought you were friends!"

 

Perhaps she was reading into it too much, but it was there, Nick had definitely not wanted to talk to Mr. Edgeworth. Not at all, and him laughing had nothing to do with it. She knew it.

 

"Ahh." Miles said in hesitance at her observation.

 

It was obvious that Phoenix had not explained to her what had happened, and perhaps it was best that way.  He wondered if he made the right decision telling Phoenix what he did, because he sure felt he had done a horrible thing when he found out Phoenix was in the hospital due to an attempt on his life.

 

He was just about ready to hop on a plane and tell Phoenix he was sorry for everything and that he was much too hasty, before he found out his injuries weren't that serious.  But when he found out Phoenix's life wasn't in danger, he lost his nerve.  And now, Phoenix went out of his way to avoid him, and really, Miles couldn't blame him at all.

 

Suddenly realizing that he was silent for a second too long, he quickly said, "I'm not sure what it could be.  I haven't noticed anything unusual."

 

"Mr. Edgeworth! That is bull and you know it! I've been around Nick, who’s probably the most horrible liar on the planet, long enough to realize when someone's stalling!" She frowned at the phone, if Mr. Edgeworth would go as far as to lie, then something was definitely wrong.

 

"You can tell me... I won't spill the beans or anything. I promise."

 

Miles considered briefly whether he should say anything or not, but he quickly decided against it.  If Phoenix didn't tell her himself, there was no reason for him to.

 

"Maya, it...really is nothing.  If Wright didn't mention anything to you, I'm sure it isn't a big deal." Miles said, just a tiny bit of guilt sneaking into his tone.

 

"Mr. Edgeworth! Stop lying to me! It is a big deal! I wasn't even sure of it until you got all avoidant about it!"

 

She was feeling angry and hurt. Both feelings directed to both of the men involved. She knew something was wrong, but neither of them wanted to tell her what it was and at the same time, they were being so obvious about it.

 

_Men are stupid._ Maya thought with a grumble.

"Umm, so was there another reason you called?  I do have to return to my work shortly." Miles said, quickly changing the subject.

 

"Forget it Mr. Edgeworth. I can't ask you for help anymore. Goodbye." She made herself ready to hang up. It really was no point in asking him for advice when it came to Franziska when he obviously couldn't even handle talking about Nick.

 

"Wait, Maya." Miles could tell she was rather upset about not knowing what was happening, and he was guilty enough as it was, so he decided telling her a bit of what was wrong was better than nothing at all, "You're right.  There is something wrong."

 

"Well what is it?! You used to be good friends and now he won't talk to you and you don't even want to talk about him! I don't understand it at all!" She bit her lip, she didn't want to get so emotional over it, but she just couldn't understand why they refused to tell her. Especially Nick.

 

Her tone bit into Miles, and he winced.  He was glad this was a conversation over the phone and she couldn't see him as he said, "Well...I've said something...something really stupid."

 

"... what? You've said something stupid? Well... it must have been spectacularly stupid for it to have this kind of effect..."

 

_It was true, what on earth could Mr Edgeworth have said...?_ Maya thought curiously.

"Believe me, you don't know the half of it." he said, his tone turning increasingly guilty.

 

"Well what was it? Maybe we can fix it?"

 

_Oh wow, Mr. Edgeworth sounds so guilty, it was even worse than the time he'd convinced himself that he'd killed his own father. Oh boy._

 

Miles skipped over her question of what he said, sticking to being as vague as possible, "Ummm...Wright told me something, and I...I reacted in a less than favorable manner."

 

_How dare he be so vague?!_ Maya thought in annoyance.

 

"... what did he tell you? And how did you react?" She spoke calmly, so calmly she even managed to surprise herself.

 

"I...the point is that it is my fault that he doesn't want to speak to me...I probably made him feel stupid for even talking to me, and I regret it." Miles said, letting out a guilty sigh.

 

"But if you would just tell me then we can fix it! You obviously regret your reaction! I can talk to him! He can't escape me." She would just have to fix the troubles between Nick and Mr. Edgeworth, then she could focus on Nick's love life.

 

"Thank you for your offer to help, Maya, but I believe the problem would be better solved if I talked to him myself.  If you want to convince him into wanting to talk to me again, that is one thing you can help me with." Miles said, sounding thankful.

 

"But... It'd be easier for me to convince him to talk to you if I knew what the problem was! Nick is an expert on excuses, and when he runs out of good ones, he has an endless supply of bad ones!" She was happy that Mr. Edgeworth seemed to have cheered up slightly, but still.

 

"Don't worry, Maya.  I will take care of this." Miles said, sounding just a little less guilty now and a bit more confident.

 

"Mr. Edgeworth..." She wasn't convinced, what if... what if something went wrong, really wrong? "Well... can't you at least give me a hint? Please?"

 

"I...All that I can tell you is that, Phoe--umm, Wright...told me something that surprised me.  And, I just reacted without thinking.  I'd already finished speaking when I realized that I hurt him.  Now, I can't take back what I said, but I will talk with him and try to make it up to him." Miles said, sounding vulnerable.

 

Maya was silent for awhile. This didn't bode well. "Alright, I'll talk to Nick to make sure that he'll speak to you..." She bit her lip, they needed to sort this out, whatever it was.

 

Miles let out a sigh of relief when Maya finally dropped that subject.  Then he asked, "So, was there something else you need to talk to me about?"

 

She bit her lip. Should she? "I... I have this problem..." She decided to go with being vague. "Well... if... if you were to.. to... talk to uhm... to Ms Franziska... ehm... what- what kind of subject would be appropriate for the situation? Ah - I... I mean... you're kind of siblings and I just... thought... that maybe you'd know?" She was nervous, asking this kind of thing but, for Nick's sake, she had to do it.

 

Miles was silent for a moment, a little shocked at the sudden change of topic.  His eyebrows raised in surprise, he said, "You want to talk to Franziska?"

 

"Ah - I... I - I just... uhh..." Well, she didn't want to rat out on Nick, especially since he didn't want to ask Mr Edgeworth for help and the fact that they still hadn't resolved their issues. Maybe this was a better card to play? "I... please just tell me! What kind of non law related subjects can you talk to Ms Franziska without her wanting to... well... hurt you..." She bit her lip again.

 

Maya's tone made Miles chuckle suddenly, and he had to admit it was no small feat for Franziska to have inspired this sort of fear in others.

 

Finally he spoke, humor touching his tone, "There are very few topics that would result in a favorable response from her, I regret to say.  She was always so dedicated to the study of law from a young age that I'm not sure if she had a chance to develop many other interests."

 

"But - but! There has to be SOMETHING! Classical music? Spirits? Make-up? BURGERS?!" Come on Mr. Edgeworth! There has to be something! She was growing desperate, if not even he knew then…then what would they do?

 

Miles thought carefully back on their childhoods to see if he could better answer Maya's question.  He'd been vague enough in the first part of their conversation, so this time he wanted to help as much as he could.

 

"Well, if I remember properly, she seemed to like taking care of the plants in a little garden we had at the Manor."

 

"Ah! Wait! I have to write this down!" Maya when scrambling after some paper and a pen, dropped the phone in the process and rustled some more before she was finally back on the line. "Oh! Okay! So uhm... gardening? Okay! What else? Anything else?"

 

A grin came to Miles' face at how excited Maya was getting over this.  Was there something more going on here than Maya just wanting to have an idle conversation with Franziska?  It sure seemed that way.

 

"Hmm...she also really liked to try on all of her mother's old jewelry as well."

"Oooh! Jewelry! Perfect! Thank you so much! Really Mr. Edgeworth! This is so helpful! Thank you so much! I'll have to go try it! ... after I read up on the subjects..." She would have to test them out before she sent Nick to try, the man had this talent for tripping over his words when he was afraid, and if they weren't sure the subjects would work, well he'd be a fumbling idiot.

 

"May I ask why you so desperately want to have a successful conversation with Franziska?" Miles asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

 

"Uhhhh... uhm... eh... well... you see... I... eheh... it's nothing! Really!" She tried to sound convincing, but she knew that she was failing spectacularly in that department.

 

Miles smirked, raised an eyebrow and said, "Now, now.  Don't doubt my abilities on being able to see through a lie either."

 

Maya started to stutter and she felt her face grow red, he was using what she told him earlier against her. that wasn't fair! "We-well! I - I don't have to answer that question anyways! I - I just... I just want to!" She probably sounded as embarrassed as she felt, but it was kind of too late to hide it now.

 

"Really?  Because it sounds like you have some...personal interest in the outcome of the conversation." Miles said, his tone just a bit teasing.

 

"Well maybe I do! What's it to you?! I - I you're making me embarrassed." She sighed and stared at the floor scraping her toes against the floor.

 

"I wouldn't think you'd be getting all that embarrassed if it was an innocent request.  I believe you must feel some sort of sudden fondness for Franziska?" Miles said, feeling like he was hot on the trail.

 

"Eeeek! Stop it! Stop it, Mr. Edgeworth!" Her cheeks were flaming, and she wasn't even sure why anymore. She wasn't even sure if it was for her sake of for Nick's. If she had known that things would turn out this complicated she wouldn't have... well, she would anyway. "You're... you're embarrassing me... please... don't mention this to Frannie! I - eeek! I meant Ms. Franziska! I eh... uhm..."

 

"Maya, calm down.  I will not say anything to her.  And, out of curiosity, when did you change your mind about Franziska?  You two never seemed to talk much before.  I wasn't certain you two had very much in common." Miles said, trying to get to the bottom of this.

 

"I - I... It's Nick! Okay?! Nick wants to talk to her without being whipped silly and I promised I'd help! But when I suggested he should talk to you he got real defensive and you won't tell me what wrong either! It's really unfair Mr. Edgeworth! I didn't want to tell you because you two haven't resolved whatever it is but you just... I - I... I shouldn't have called..." She trailed off. Great, now she had told about Nick. Perfect, life sure wasn't as great as it had been this morning.

 

For a beat, Miles was completely silent, the smirk on his face melting away, and in shock he quietly asked, "Wright is the one that wants to talk to Franziska?"

 

"I... She took care of him after the accident and all! I think he wants to be able to thank her and stuff without her whipping him half to death for opening his mouth in her presence!" She bit her lip, she was just spilling Nick's secrets to Edgeworth, and they hadn't even fixed their problem yet.

 

Miles was certain that he could feel his heart breaking, and he took a few deep breaths before he trusted himself to continue speaking.

 

"I see." he said simply.

 

_I'm already too late...I made a huge mistake and now I can't even fix it..._ Miles thought helplessly.

 

"Mr. Edgeworth... what is the thing that caused the rift between you and Nick? For some reason, I get the feeling that all of this is connected. I can hear it in your tone." She said in concern as she slowly put two and two together.

 

The direct question and the concern in Maya's tone after receiving this less than happy news for him made something break in Miles.  He knew that Maya was just annoyed at his vagueness, but combined with how suddenly this news was laid on him, he wasn't sure how he could put himself back together.

 

His voice quivered with emotion that he couldn't quite mask in this state as he answered Maya, "I've made a horrible mistake."

 

Maya bit her lip, Mr Edgeworth was obviously vulnerable right now, but she had to keep him going. She had to know. "So I've gathered." Her voice was softer this time, but it left no room for an excuse.

 

Miles pushed himself to keep talking, realizing that if he didn't he'd most likely break down, and that wasn't something he wanted to do on the phone with Maya Fey.

 

"Wright...told me he...he had some feelings for me.  And I..." Miles trailed off, his voice taken by the sob he had to choke away to keep it from being heard by Maya.

 

"Wha...? I - oh no... you don't mean... oh no..." This, this wasn't supposed to happen! Life had been so easy this morning, everything made sense and everything was fine and now... "So he's… he's on the rebound... but... but that kind of relationship never works out! I've read that in numerous stories and seen it in so many movies! It never works! I even read it in a psychology book... oh Nick you idiot... and Mr. Edgeworth... you're an idiot too..."

 

Miles touched his face and he was surprised to find it damp with tears.

 

_Oh God...I never imagined anything like this would happen..._ he thought, it taking every fiber of determination in him to keep from falling apart right then and there.

 

It didn't help that Maya seemed like she was about to cry as well.

 

"Maya..." he said, his voice quivering just a little bit more, "It was my mistake...and we were never in a relationship anyway.  If he's fallen in love again, I...I just want him to be happy.  And if...if that's with Franziska, I'll just have to..."

 

Miles couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, knowing that it would completely break him if he did.  There was only so much he could take at one time.

 

"But Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya wasn't sure what to believe in anymore. Rebound relationships never worked out, they never did, she knew that.

 

"Mr. Edgeworth, we're gonna sort this out. I'm not sure how it will end, but I'll make sure that Nick knows the whole story, otherwise this... this..." Maybe Nick ended up With Frannie, maybe he ended up with Mr. Edgeworth, that didn't matter right now, he needed to know the whole story before making his decision. Simple as that.

 

"If you can't tell him, I will. I refuse to see this whole thing go down in flames! Besides! Frannie might not even LIKE Nick! We're gonna sort this out Mr. Edgeworth, one way or another."

 

"Please, Maya.  When I thought about things later, I realized how much I must have hurt him by saying those things.  Let him be happy this time.  And, knowing Franziska the way that I do, I know she would not willingly take care of someone that she does not like.  Taking care of someone that way would be a big deal to her, so she very well could care about Wright that way." Miles said carefully, barely able to keep his own feelings in control.

 

"But Mr. Edgeworth! This isn't fair! I want you all to be happy! You... you were just afraid... that's not your fault. Why should you have to be unhappy because of a mistake? A mistake that can been fixed no less..." Life was so complicated.

 

"I've already lost my chance.  In any case, I don't deserve him." his voice sounded much stronger than he felt, some more tears slipping down his cheeks at those words.

 

"No! That's... that's not true! I refuse to believe that! Nick isn't that fickle! And what do you mean you don't deserve him?! How many times have you helped him in court and otherwise? This... this is... this is so bad..."

 

Miles knew that he was seconds away from breaking down, so he had to get off the phone before that happened.

 

"I...I need some time to deal with this.  I...will talk to you later, Maya.  Good bye."

 

Maya bit her lip once more. "Yeah.. talk to you later Mr. Edgeworth. We'll fix this, I promise. Goodbye." She stared at the phone as she hung up.

 

* * *


	8. Torn - Chapter 8

** Chapter 8 **

 

After finally finding a parking space for her car, Franziska walked briskly toward a cafe near Venice beach that Phoenix had suggested they meet at for their date. She was having some second thoughts about agreeing to this at all, since there was no larger truth than Phoenix Wright being one of the biggest fools she'd ever met, but over the few months after returning from San Francisco, deep down, she had to admit, she felt somewhat of a soft spot for the man.  
  
She was jerked out of her thoughts when her eyes settled on the small cafe called "MuscleBeach."  
  
 _What a ridiculous name. Perfectly fitting for the kind of place Phoenix Wright would choose for a date._ Franziska thought to herself, making her way inside. 

 

* * *

 

Cursing his luck with managing to catch only the buses running late, Phoenix jogged in the direction of the cafe, hoping that he wouldn't sweat too much and end up looking bad for his date. _Date._ He didn't know why he’d asked Franziska von Karma out on a date, but it probably had something to do with Maya pushing him to go for it. All he knew was that after the accident, Franziska had seemed... different to him. And he liked it.  
  
He caught sight of the cafe and hurried over, hoping she wouldn't whip him for being a couple of minutes late for their first date, though it was highly unlikely. At least, Phoenix was pretty sure it was. 

 

* * *

 

Franziska had taken a seat near the door so she could keep track of who entered, and she glanced at her watch again. When she looked up, she saw Phoenix quickly entering and then catching sight of her as he scanned the cafe for her. As their eyes met, he gave her a small grin that made her heart skip.  
  
Determined not to let Phoenix know the effect he had on her, she kept her eyes locked on his as he approached her, and when he was about to sit down she said with an eyebrow raised, "You are five minutes late." 

****

Phoenix looked at his watch and gave her a sheepish smile, absently scratching the back of his head with one hand as he took the seat across the small table from her. After a moment he remembered he was supposed to apologize and gave her another sheepish grin, his face reddening slightly more than it had been from the jog.  
  
"S-sorry, my bus was late. I didn't mean to... I-I mean, I hope you weren't waiting for me very long. " He said, breaking eye contact afterwards and glancing at the table for their menus. 

****   
Franziska realized that if it was just about anyone else giving her these nonsense excuses for making her wait for even a minute more than they were supposed to, she have whipped them down in a second. But something about his nervous and sheepish demeanor made her smile inside, and this caused the grip on her whip lessen just slightly.  
  
"I have already looked at the menu and decided what I will be having." she said, replying in a slightly haughty tone, looking down her nose at Phoenix for a moment before pointing out a kind of pizza dish on the menu. 

 

When he realized she wasn't going to whip him, Phoenix relaxed a little and mentally sighed with relief. _I guess she can surprise people in more ways than coming out of nowhere_ , he thought, giving her another small smile.  
  
At her unexpected dialogue, he blinked and leaned forward over the table to look on her menu at the pizza she was interested in, not realizing how close together such a small movement brought them. 

 

Franziska almost gasped when Phoenix leaned forward to look at the menu she was gesturing to.  She wasn't used to being this physically close to another person, but in this case, she had to say that she liked it.  Not that she'd let him know that, the foolish fool.    
  
All of that aside, she did not move, maintaining the closeness, and she said in a clipped tone, "What will you be having, Phoenix Wright?" 

****   
"Ah, right. I should eat, too, shouldn't I?" He said, moving back into his seat and picking up his own menu, sheepish grin back in place. A quick glance through it told him two things. One: He'd have to eat light if he wanted to be able to pay for both of them, and Two: Franziska had thankfully chosen something that he could actually afford. When he noticed the second one he was mildly surprised, but in a very good way.  
  
Finally deciding on a cheap pasta that looked good, he called the waiter over and pointed out their choices, looking over at Franziska to see if she wanted to add anything to her order. 

****

For some reason that was unknown to Franziska, the way he smiled and looked at her made her blush lightly.  Quickly she cleared her throat to distract from this, and she brought up the menu to partly cover her face.  
  
"I do not want a drink." Franziska said in mild irritation, not liking when her emotions escaped her tight control. 

****

Hearing the irritation in her voice, Phoenix decided not to press her, settling for just a glass of water himself. After the waiter had finished writing he took the menu from Phoenix, then went forward to collect Franziska's and return to the kitchen to give the chefs their orders.   
  
"S-so... uh... You like pizza? I wouldn't have thought that someone as, uh, sophisticated as you would enjoy a food like pizza." He said, awkwardly attempting to start a conversation with her. 

****

"Are you implying that I should not have pizza, Phoenix Wright?" Franziska said in a mildly threatening tone, but some amusement could be seen in her eyes. 

****

He flinched back slightly at her tone, then, noticing her amusement, began to rub at the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.   
"I-I didn't mean that, j-just that it surprises me. But I'm glad you do, maybe we can enjoy one together sometime. In the future, I mean, s-since you're obviously about to enjoy one in a few minutes." 

****

Franziska barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Phoenix's foolishness, deciding that he really just couldn't help it, being the way he was.  She instead stuck to examining the rest of the establishment as they waited for their food, not one that was good at idle conversation.  
  
 _This is definitely a foolish location that only someone like Phoenix Wright would suggest to go on a date._ Franziska thought, but deep down she found the place mildly pleasant and quaint. 

****

Grateful that the waiter soon appeared with their food, he dug in to get rid of the awkwardness that hung in the air. They ate mostly in silence, Phoenix offering up a few observations that came to his mind every so often, and finished a little while later.  
  
Paying for the food and putting down a couple of bills for the waiter, Phoenix stood up and stretched, grinning over at Franziska.   
  
"It was pretty good food, wasn't it? Though, you must be used to food a lot better than this, huh?" He asked her, his heart sinking as he realized that she probably would have been expecting something fancier for a date. 

****

"The food was adequate." Franziska replied in a crisp tone, quickly standing up from her chair when she saw that Phoenix had set the money down for the meal on the table.  
  
She walked outside with Phoenix, wondering if that would be it and they would both head home from here.  A part of her deep down hoped that their meeting wouldn't be over just yet, though she couldn’t imagine what more she could do with the fool in this area. 

****

Glad that she enjoyed it enough to not have any criticisms, Phoenix happily followed her outside. Checking his watch, he started at how early it still was and glanced over towards Franziska.   
  
"Uh, well, my bus doesn't arrive for another half hour. B-but you're welcome to go home now, if you want. I can just go wait by the beach.  U-unless you'd like to wait with me?" He gave her a small smile, hoping that she'd agree to extend their date just a little longer. 

****

"Fine." she replied grudgingly, acting as if this wasn't what she had wanted herself.    
  
She still kept a tight grip on her whip though, ready to whip at a moments notice if Phoenix tried any funny business.  It didn't help that the small smile he gave her made her heart flop. 

****

Glad to hear that she was willing to spend more time with him, he grinned widely and checked the street for cars before heading across with her. As they reached the beach, he sighed with appreciation at the colors of the sunset and glanced to see her expression. When he did, his heart skipped at how the light shining on her lit her up and softened her usually stern look.  
  
"Y-you know, you look really pretty right now..." Phoenix told her, then blushed slightly and amended his statement," O-of course, you look pretty all the time." 

****   
Being distracted by the admittedly beautiful sunset in front of her, she barely registered Phoenix's words when he said them.  When she realized what he said, she turned sharply to face him, unable to help some color from coming to her cheeks as a result from the earnest tone in his voice as he complimented her.  
  
She suddenly found it hard to breathe as she looked into his eyes for a moment, and then she spoke quietly but firmly, "I would like to enjoy the sunset in silence, Phoenix Wright."  
  
She quickly turned her head toward the setting sun over the beach to avoid her cheeks getting even more red, taking in the beautiful sight, suddenly wishing that she had done this more often. 

 

Quite content with staying silent, he nodded. Turning to look at the sunset with her, Phoenix simply let himself enjoy her presence beside him and the beautiful display in front of them. As they stood, the sun sinking lower and lower into the horizon, one of his hands slipped towards her own, a faint smile on his lips.

****

So absorbed with watching the sun sinking out of sight, she felt a shock travel quickly up her arm when Phoenix’s hand gently came into contact with her own.  Franziska was beginning to get irritated at how much Phoenix could make her blush without even trying, but she put that thought aside as she curled her fingers around his in a slightly tighter grip.  
  
She let out a small sigh when the last rays of the sun shone over the horizon, not remembering another time when she felt more at peace with herself than this moment.  Ironic that she had the fool Phoenix Wright to thank for that.

 


	9. Torn - Chapter 9

** Chapter 9 **

 

After standing and watching the sky until the sun had slipped out of view, Phoenix lifted his free hand to check his watch, then did a double take. Time had passed so quickly that thirty minutes had already come and gone. He was reluctant to relay this message to Franziska, who seemed content with just standing there and enjoying the view, so he waited a few minutes more to let the last rays of the sun disappear before attempting to break the comfortable silence.  
  
"Ah... well, uh... It's been a while since we came out here... You're welcome to go home now, if you want."  He said as he glanced over to look at her as they stood there, deciding not to say anything about missing his bus, so not to make her feel guilty.

A small smirk came to her face as she looked at Phoenix again, his eyes still looking bright even if the sun had gone down.  
  
She did not let go of his hand as she replied in a confident and rather haughty tone, "Do not be foolish, Phoenix Wright.  I am well aware you've missed your bus.  I will drop you at your apartment."

A sheepish grin showed on his face as he glanced downwards, embarrassed at being caught at his secrecy.

 

_I should've known better than to try to hide something from a von Karma, I guess._ he thought as he looked back up at her.  
  
"Heh, you noticed, did you? But, uh, thank you, I-I really appreciate it." He said, grin changing from sheepish to earnest as he did so.

His grin made her heart flop yet again, and at this point Franziska wondered what the heck was wrong with her with how deeply and easily Phoenix Wright could affect her.  She began to walk in the direction of where she parked her car, tugging Phoenix that way by the hand before finally letting go.  
  
"My car is not that far away." she added, not looking back as she briskly walked there.

Following along behind her, he grew slightly disappointed when she released his hand, but cheering back up after realizing they would have had to let go eventually, and that there would be more opportunities to do so in the future.      
  
Once they reached the car and got inside, he took the opportunity to just watch her, relaxing in his seat. When she had unlocked it and allowed him inside, he'd been amazed, and still was, at how luxurious her car was.

As Franziska started up her car and pulled out of the parking lot, she asked Phoenix for directions to his place.  What a mistake that was.  In between directions, he kept feeling the need to fill the silence in the car with useless chatter which Franziska only replied to in clipped tones, if she replied at all.  
  
Even if somewhere deep inside she found the fact she made Phoenix so nervous humorous, she had to say, she was not used to making idle conversation in the slightest, so it made her more irritated and uncomfortable than anything else.  
  
She breathed an inward sigh of relief when his apartment complex came into view, and she pulled into a spot near the entrance and stopped the car.  One part of her told her that she had more than enough of this foolish date and that there were much more important court matters that deserved her attention, but another part just wanted something more.  
  
Not sure of what to do in this situation, she undid her seatbelt and then looked at Phoenix with an intense look.  The parking lot lamps reflected off his face to give his skin a yellowish tinge, but it was his eyes that really held her attention.

They were an unusual deep blue in color, filled with kindness, lighting up whenever he smiled or laughed, betraying his every emotion as he felt it.  She was certain she didn't know anyone else with eyes anything like his.  Though she would not readily admit it, she was certain that she could never tire of looking into them.  
  
 _What foolish thoughts are these?  Phoenix Wright must have rubbed off on me much more than I would ever have wanted._ Franziska silently grumbled to herself, not used to listening to her heart much.

Bringing a hand up to rub absently at the back of his neck, Phoenix looked back at her, silent for the first time since getting into the car. He noticed her intense stare and blushed slightly, wondering if she was displeased with him for something. Wanting to try and keep up the date, he thought about what he could do to increase their time together.    
  
Finally deciding that it'd probably be polite to invite her inside, he clears his throat and carefully tries to word it so that she won't take it the wrong way and get offended.   
  
"Uh, well, since we're here, and you're already unbuckled, uh, maybe you'd like to come inside for some coffee or something? " He asked, fumbling with his own seatbelt before managing to slip it off and blush at his awkwardness.

"Alright."   
  
The word slipped out of Franziska's mouth even before she could think through her response.    
  
Not wanting to sound easy or the like, since funny business is usually thought to be associated with visiting someone's home after a date, so she gripped her whip tightly and brought it into view to show she was not to be toyed with and added a threatening, "But do not get any ideas, Phoenix Wright."

"Ideas? What do you- O-oh! N-n-no! I would never- I mean, I had no intention of... " Confusion briefly lit up his face as he tried to figure out what she meant by that, eyes widening and a red color taking over his face as realization hit him and he sputtered slightly, trailing off at the end. An awkward moment passed before he opened the door and got out, grinning embarrassedly, then ran around to her side and tried to open the door for her, belatedly realizing the door was still locked.

Franziska let out a sigh at his foolishness, unlocking her door and then allowed him to open it for her since he was so intent on doing so.  Her mouth twitched just slightly into a smile at his embarrassment, pleased to see that she seemed to have as big an effect on him as he on her.  
  
When they were both out of the car, she locked and armed it, and then waited to follow after him to his place.  Her heart was beating fast, never having been on a date as successful as this one before, wondering exactly what would happen next.

Still flustered, he led her up the stairs and to the door of his apartment, looking through his pockets for his keys. He gave Franziska an apologetic glance as he finally fished them out of his pocket and attempted to unlock the door.

 “Uh, sorry, it's a bit cluttered, b-but the couch is over there, so if you'd like to sit down... And…uhh…my coffee isn’t anything really fancy, but it's not too bad.” he said, finally managing to open the door and let her inside before following behind her.

"I suppose it will do." Franziska said with an eyebrow raised, moving to sit down on the couch as she was invited to do.

 

Phoenix went to make coffee, inwardly shaking his head - come on, he was a defense lawyer, this should be nothing compared to the pressure of a case. But somehow, he found himself completely unable to complete a phrase without stuttering, both in mouth and mind. He clattered around his kitchen, halfheartedly cleaning as he went - he was sort of embarrassed at the state it was in, but then, he hadn't expected company.

 

And he waited for the coffee to brew, and wasn't sure whether he should go over and try to talk to her, or maybe that would make her mad, or should he look like he was doing something important, or.... or, he could just vacillate and end up standing there like a dummy.

 

Franziska observed him closely in from the living room, as there was only a small divider between there and the kitchen, and she noticed he seemed to be quite indecisive about something. This caused a smirk to grow on her face at the way she obviously was making him very nervous.

 

He finally met her eyes, and blushed helplessly. "Ah..." he wanted to ask what she was smirking at, but on the other hand, he really didn't want to know... "So... h-how do you like your coffee?"

  
"I like it with both cream and sugar, although tea is much more fitting to my tastes, Phoenix Wright." Franziska said with an eyebrow raised, but her hard tone was laced with humor.

 

"Oh... then... do you want tea instead? I think I have some tea." Actually, he had some very nice tea, courtesy of Maya and Pearl. He could sense the humor in her tone - it relaxed him a little, he was just relieved she didn't hate him for totally forgetting to ask her if she even liked coffee, or if she wanted tea, or... he stamped on his babbling internal monologue.

 

"You have already started making the coffee, Phoenix Wright. It would be a foolish waste of time to start making tea at this point, and I highly doubt your tea making skills are up to par." she replied, secretly wanting him to hurry up with the coffee that would probably end up being horrible anyway, and spend time with her instead.

 

"Hey; I make good tea. Maya wouldn't leave me alone about it until I could." Feeling slightly less paranoid, he checked the coffee maker - nope, still some time to go, so he went over and took a seat, definitely feeling more relaxed.

 

"I've seen that you are close with that spirit chaneller." Franziska said in a stiff tone, suddenly feeling a bit jealous that Phoenix would dare mention her on their date.

 

He did notice the sudden change in tone, but he was totally clueless as to why. "Well, yeah, she's kind of like a little sister to me - a really annoying one." He made a rather exasperated face. "But uh... well, she did teach me how to make tea, so uh... maybe sometime... I could... make some for you?" Now was awkward smile time, full of hope and uncertainty and honest affection.  


Franziska was about agree about Maya being annoying in a clipped tone, but the look in his eyes stole her words away. She would never tire of him looking at her that way, she was sure of it.  
  
"Perhaps I will be able to accurately gage your tea making skills then, Phoenix Wright." Franziska said, her tone softening again.  
  
As much as her tone softens anyway.

 

It melted in a full, real smile, lighting up his eyes with warmth. "I'm sure you won't be dissatisfied," he murmured, unaware of the slightly sensual tone in his voice.  


Franziska felt her face reddening suddenly at his tone and she responded forcefully, "We will see."


	10. Torn - Chapter 10

** Chapter 10 **

 

When the coffee finished, Phoenix stood up, absently running a hand through his hair, his shirt pulling over his shoulder as he stretched. "Cream and sugar, right?" He pulled out his nicest and not as nicest mugs, nicest for Franziska of course.  


"Yes." she didn't say much else, since she was still flustered by the way he said his last comment.  
  
Was he implying something? She wasn't sure since Phoenix had the habit of having a lot of foolish things come out of his mouth. This, and she really had next to zero experience when it came to the physical side of relationships.   
  
Not to say she was much in the know when it came to the emotional side of relationships either, but she liked to think she was getting a bit better, no thanks to her father's influence on her in childhood.

 

Phoenix interrupted her thoughts as he held out a mug. "Here - it's still really hot, watch out." He sat on the couch near her, and seemed content for his fingers to be wrapped around the mug, waiting for it to cool, and blowing lightly on the surface. Then he looked up and grinned at her again - he was just happy to be spending time with her, and even more happy that she wasn't upset.

 

"Thank you for the more than obvious advice, Phoenix Wright." she replied with a smirk, her voice touched with sarcasm.  
  
She took a sip of her coffee and was surprised to find that it was indeed consumable.

 

"Always looking out for you," he said right back, grinning. Despite his teasing tone... well, it was true. To the best of his ability, anyway - it seemed like more often than not, it was the other way around.   


At that, Franziska couldn't help but give him a small, but genuine smile. But the longer they sat together like this, much closer than she sat with most people, she started getting more nervous. Would something happen tonight? Would she end up making a fool of herself? If that happened, she very well would never be able to face Phoenix Wright again.

 

But Phoenix seemed totally content to sip at his own coffee, oblivious to her nervousness. Suddenly he opened his mouth - then shut it again, looking worried. Was that too personal a question to ask?? "Hey.... Miss von Karma... have you ever been on a date before?" His tone was innocent questioning - he full expected to be slapped, or whipped, or abused in some way, but the curiosity had grown too much to bear.

 

Giving Phoenix a hard look at the sudden, and slightly personal, question, she replied, "Very rarely with men my father thought to be suitable for me. They could not match my perfection by any means."  
  
She was silent for a moment, but then she poked Phoenix with her whip as she continued to speak, "Why does this concern you, Phoenix Wright?"

 

He grinned. "Well, I guess I was curious." There was a pause, and then- "But... your father hated me."  


"My father hated a lot of people for foolish reasons. I have decided to be nothing like him, since I've seen the road it led him down." Franziska said in a bitter tone.

 

Phonenix nodded. "That's really... mature of you? I don't know if that's the right word." He frowned. "...Honorable, maybe... no, not that either..."  


"Shut up, Phoenix Wright. You're making yourself an even bigger fool than I already thought you to be." Franziska said in a slightly snappy tone, not enjoying talk of her father very much.

 

"What, I thought I couldn't sink any lower in your esteem," he said before he thought about what he was saying.  


With a raised eyebrow she said, "You seem intent on trying."  
  
Realizing that she was being mean to him when he was obviously trying very hard to compliment her, she added softly, "My father never approved of much, even if I did everything he ever told me to do. I've...seen the way Miles Edgeworth has improved when he distanced himself from Papa's influence...so I...hope to do the same."  
  
The hesitance in her own tone cut into her, making her almost want to whip herself for her foolishness, but something about Phoenix Wright was very disarming, and made it easier to reveal things to him she had trouble even admitting to herself.

 

He blinked, surprised - though he shouldn't've been - that she'd brought Edgeworth into this. "Ah... yeah..." sidetracked by his own thoughts for a minute, he trailed off.  
  
"...I just meant to say that I respect you for it, that's all."  


Franiska just nodded at Phoenix, and then took another sip of her coffee, suddenly feeling more vulnerable than she could remember feeling in a long time.

 

The conversation stilled, and Phoenix sipped at his coffee quietly for a minute. Then he put his cup down on the table in front of them, sighing, and pulling an arm over his head - stretching it out; it had sort of been a long day, what with stressing over said date and all, and now his muscles were hurting a little. He shook his head and ran his hand through the hair again with a sheepish smile on his lips. "Ah, sorry, just tense."  


Franziska didn't say anything for a moment, now watching all of his movements closely. Did she just think that the way he sighed and stretched his arm over his head was...attractive in some strange way?   
  
_Phoenix_ _Wright has definitely addled my brain._ Franziska thought to herself, her cheeks reddening some more.  
  
"It never hurts to be on your toes."

 

He chuckled. "Well, sometimes it does..." Argh, had to stretch out the OTHER arm now. "Stress... tension... gets to you sometimes. You know?"

 

"No one would know better." Franziska said, her tone turning a little intense, now just feeling practically drawn to him.  
  
Unable to control her impulse, she put her own mug down and moved closer to him on the couch they were sitting on, putting a hand on his chest. She didn't know what she was doing, but she knew what she wanted.

 

He blinked a little at her. "Ah..." but then he closed his mouth, thinking, _Shut up shut up shut UP, just let her... do whatever she was going to do... also don't move because you definitely don't want to scare her off ohgodshe'stouchingme......_

 

Phoenix had frozen a little, and his heart rate definitely kicked up a notch.  


Franziska's heart rate had also picked up. She was never one to jump into a situation blind, but this was something she had no choice in. She just had to go with her gut. Taking a deep breath, she got even closer, Phoenix's very proximity making her feel intoxicated. Letting her eyes flutter shut, she leaned forward and closed the distance between her lips and Phoenix's.


	11. Torn - Chapter 11

** Chapter 11 **

 

He felt his heart leap and then he tentatively kissed her back - only tentative because he still wasn't sure she was actually doing this

 

_I mean, hey, maybe I was dreaming and I’ll wake up to find her glaring at me because I'd fallen asleep on the couch, or.... or..._ The subtext had rapidly been turning into text, but all of that slowly melted away as his thoughts turned to the soft feeling of her lips on his, the heat from her skin, their proximity.

 

Though she was not experienced, she could easily feel Phoenix's hesitancy at first, so she wondered if she did something wrong, God forbid, but she relaxed when he started to kiss back earnestly. This caused her to drop her whip and place her other hand on his chest as well, leaning even closer to him, wanting to get as close as she could.

 

He was a little surprised - but his hands were surer than his mind, coming up to touch her shoulders gently, holding her close without caging her in. He shifted a little - turned his torso towards her, so she wouldn't fall off the couch. All of this was done automatically, to the sound of his racing heart.

 

Franziska was surprised at how easily Phoenix adjusted to the kiss, and determined not to be outdone by him, she slowly moved her hands up his chest, rubbing them up his neck, coming to rest on his cheeks. Yes, she definitely didn't know what she was doing, but she knew that this felt pretty good.

 

He shivered in surprise and pleasure, then smiled softly into the kiss.  He wondered briefly where the hell this was going, but his thoughts were engulfed by the mere fact that she was kissing him and his mind was turning into happy, vaguely aroused goop.

 

With the way her fingers tingled when they touched his skin, she decided this closeness wasn't bad at all. She usually liked to keep a comfortable distance away from people, but this time was completely different. This time, it felt as though she couldn't be close enough.  
  
She finally broke the kiss to take a deep gasping breath, forgetting to breathe as they kissed. As she caught her breath, she realized her hands were still on his face. At this point, she looked into his eyes.

 

Eyes full of honesty and emotion and more than a little bit of wonder, eyes that looked right back at her with a soft appreciation. His hands on her shoulders moved just the slightest bit - brushed against the fabric of her shirt, as he smiled tentatively at her.

The movement of Phoenix's hands and his small shy smile made her heart skip a beat.  If there was any question before this that she was in love, it was just cleared up.  Her look turned determined as she brought him toward her for another kiss, slowly sliding her hands into his hair as their lips connected.  She was surprised to find that his hair was much softer than she was expecting.

 

It could possibly be said that Phoenix liked forward girls. Looking at his past, it was easy to see that - he always seemed to be attracted to girls with initiative, taking the lead, telling him what to do, et cetera. Dahlia - Iris, he corrected himself, had been sweet, but still controlling - for a multitude of reasons, as he'd found out, but still it was nevertheless something he was attracted to. Then - well, it was barely a secret that he'd had a crush on Mia, and she spent a great deal of her time telling him what to do. And now...  
  
Well, he appreciated it, nonetheless. He melted into the kiss, his brain going even fuzzier as his hair was played with - it was kind of a turn-on, and he wiggled a bit into her hands.

 

Franziska had pulled close enough to him to be sitting in his lap as they kissed, so she slid her legs over and did just that.  She wondered if this was the way these things should go, or if she was perhaps moving too fast, but she was having a surprisingly hard time controlling her impulses.    
  
She was slowly getting used to breathing in through her nose while her mouth was occupied, thankfully making her kisses much more efficient, in her opinion.  She felt the way that Phoenix reacted to her touch and she smirked.

 

Yeah, okay, he was definitely a fan of this. His hands moved a little - over her back, still nervously, afraid of what was okay for him do. But he just wanted to touch her, and she was _so_ pretty, and... He pressed a little deeper into the kiss, the tip of his tongue grazing over her bottom lip.

When she felt Phoenix's tongue touching her lip, she gasped in surprise, her mouth opening just slightly, a shiver of definite pleasure running quickly down her spine.  She couldn't remember a time when another person affected her so deeply, but the thing that surprised her the most was that she really was okay with this.  
  
Shyly, she reached her own tongue out and touched his, finding the sensation to be wet and warm, and definitely wonderful.

 

He shivered just a tiny bit, and hands pressed at her back encouragingly. His tongue got a little more friendly with hers, as those fingers wandered to the back of her neck and down her spine.

 

Never having received so much attention physically, his hands on her neck and back and his tongue touching hers, it was almost like a sensory overload.  She unconsciously arched toward him a little, and she moved her hands down from his hair and hesitantly touched the skin on his neck.

 

He approved of this, and let her know with a small breath of pleasure, his own hands not stilling in their gentle exploration.

 

Hearing that small breath from him made her shiver just slightly as well.  Her hands noted that his skin was smooth and soft, and she wished she could feel more, but his foolish jacket and shirt were in the way.  Without a thought, her hands moved to begin pushing his jacket off of his shoulders.

 

Phoenix decided that was totally okay with this. He moved his shoulders, to better shrug said jacket off and help her out.

 

When the jacket was out of the way, Franziska's hands trembled just slightly.  Now she could see his body much better, and this sight definitely excited her a little.  Her hands went back to his chest, feeling his warmth through his shirt.

 

"Mmm..." He tipped his head back just a little, a smile just touching his lips. Oh yes. She could do that as much as she liked.

 

Hearing the small sound he made and feeling the way he pushed his chest towards her a little made her hands tremble a bit more.  Not only was he having a strange effect on her, she seemed to be affecting him in just the same way.  With his neck now open to her, she leaned forward and planted a shy kiss on his throat.

 

"Ah..." His head leaned back further and he opened himself up to her, subsiding with a small moany breath of pleasure. His own hands moved again - caressed over her lower back, encouraging and exploring.

 

Franziska gasped when she felt Phoenix's hands move on her back, and she planted a few more kisses on his neck in response.  Despite her not being sure of her actions, she was willing to do whatever she could to get him to make more noises like that moan.  She shivered again, feeling herself get even more excited.

 

"Mmm......" He shivered again; he liked attention to his neck and he bet that Edgeworth also - he cut off that train of thought, and distracted himself by slipping his hands under the hem of her shirt.

 

A small moan escaped her when Phoenix touched the skin on her stomach and her hands moved up his chest once more, trembling as she undid the first button on his shirt, but her hands got more steady as she focused on the activity at hand.  She would not let any of her own imperfections ruin her time with Phoenix.  With this thought, she undid a few more buttons and bent her neck to place some kisses on his collarbone, which was now open to her with the shirt out of the way.

 

And there was that little whimpery moan again, just a bit more stretched out this time, and he pushed her shirt up slightly, fingers feathering out over her soft, pale skin.

 

Feeling a bit more brave when she heard the moan from Phoenix, she hesitantly reached her tongue out to give his collarbone a little lick.  When Phoenix splayed his hands out on her stomach, she arched herself again and moaned just a little louder, unable to control herself.

 

No other thoughts entered Phoenix's brain, other than a soft, hushed, _Yesss_.... He didn't realize he'd said it out loud, half-whispered under his breath, as his hands drifted higher.

 

Hearing Phoenix, she moaned in reply, and she gave his collarbone another slower lick, noting that his skin had a pleasant, slightly salty taste to it.

 

Now he realized what he'd said, and he flushed a little - though, as she kept licking him, it was more from pleasure than embarrassment. He traced along under the edge of her bra, feeling suddenly quite shy again.

Franziska gasped when she felt Phoenix touching her bra, and then she fixed him with an intense stare, her eyes having a strangely vulnerable look in them.  As difficult as it was for her to let another person in, there was no denying the fact that she trusted him.

 

He paused as well, as if still making sure this was all right, before a thumb came up and traced over her breast, through the lacy fabric.

 

Franziska's eyes fluttered shut and she let out a bated breath when he gently touched her breast.  Her hands then moved to unbutton more of his shirt, desperately wanting to touch him more.

 

Phoenix sucked in a small breath; this was definitely okay with him, and her fingers on his chest distracted him from _his_ fingers on _her_ chest, which, if he allowed himself to think about it too much, would probably give in to nervousness and insecurity.

Franziska's hands trembled as she reached forward to Phoenix's bare chest, some of which she could see between the flaps of his unbuttoned shirt.  The sight of his chest let her see that he was well enough in shape, but didn't look ridiculous like those body builders.  When her fingers finally made contact, she let out a small moan, his skin feeling smooth and soft under them.

He smiled - glad that she seemed to like what she saw; like a lot of men, he was pretty self conscious about his body and how it was perceived. But as long as Franziska liked it...

 

_I’m sure Edgeworth liked it_ , a very dark corner of his mind said, but he chose to ignore that comment in favor of sliding his hands around back to unhook Franziska's bra.

She shivered as she felt her bra loosening and she leaned closer to his body, locking lips with him again, her hands sliding along his chest, finding it fascinating the way Phoenix's muscles seemed to twitch under her fingers as they moved.

Luckily, Phoenix's traitorous subconscious seemed directly attached to his lips, and as such, when they reconnected with Franziska's, his mind instantly launched away, and he was left with only instinct to guide him, which seemed to be telling him that he should run his fingers all over Franziska's back. And so he did, his broad hands a surprisingly delicate touch.

 

Franziska gasped, feeling those hands traverse her entire back, certain that never in her life did she ever feel as desperate to touch and be touched as she was right then.  Shyly, she began to caress Phoenix's sides slowly.

Oh, he definitely liked that. He shifted towards her slightly, a slight parting of his lips and twitch of his fingers showing just how much.

Taking yet another deep breath, Franziska’s slightly trembling hands then moved up to begin pushing his shirt off his shoulders.  Now that his chest was fully revealed to her, she pulled back from their kiss to just study his body, something making her leaning forward to press a light kiss to his chest.

He blinked at the unexpected tenderness, and he blushed a little - shyly tugged up at the hem of her own shirt, indicating that she needed to lift her arms or something to get it off.

She moved her arms like he indicated, suddenly getting infinitely more nervous now that more of her body was bared to him.  She moaned softly and moved her hands to his back, shivering a little when their skin came into contact in the awkward embrace of sorts.

Phoenix was turning even redder; this was always where he got super embarrassed, no matter who it was or how long they'd been together. But the hands on his back once again had the effect of pushing his mind away, and he made a quiet noise under his breath, tipping his head down to her shoulder and kissing lightly there.

Franziska then decided she wanted to feel his bare arms around her, so she pulled back from him slightly, pulling his wrists towards her to undo the cuff buttons of his shirt and then she pushed his shirt down more to show she wanted him to also take his shirt completely off.

He got it after a moment, and leaned back to wriggle out of his shirt, absently rolling his neck to try and be less tense. Then he reached up and delicately pulled on the straps of her bra, sliding it off her arms.

When her bra fell free of her arms, Franziska blushed deeply, never revealing this much of herself to another person, and she felt extremely vulnerable.    
  
She resisted the urge to cover herself and she let Phoenix look at her, diverting her eyes away from his and shyly whispering, "P-Phoenix Wright...I...I have never done....anything of this sort."

"What.... nothing?" He blinked at her, eyes wide.

Franziska didn't think it would be possible to blush any more, but at his words, she proved herself wrong.  All she could do was embarrassedly shake her head, still not looking at him, believing that he now probably thought she was weird or something of the like.

He reached up a hand and stroked along her cheek. "I'm sorry," he murmured under his breath. "Did you n- I mean..." he stumbled himself into embarrassed awkward silence, hand still on her face.

Never feeling as vulnerable any other time in her life, all she could do was look back at him.  She wasn't sure what he was trying to say, but the longer he was silent, the more nervous she felt herself getting.

He leaned in and kissed her softly, smiling a bit. "You're beautiful," he said, his mouth moving before he even though about it.

Though it was completely uncharacteristic of her, a small, but genuine smile came to her face.  Not a smirk, but an earnest, shy smile.  She then leaned forward to kiss him again, her eyes tearing up just slightly.  No one had ever said anything like that to her and truly meant it, so she decided to hang on to this moment.


	12. Torn - Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 

And Phoenix melted into the kiss, his hands sliding to the back of her neck. He really meant it - even before he'd fallen for her, he'd always thought so. 

 

As they kissed, Franziska pressed herself as close to Phoenix as she could, the full skin on skin contact made her sigh and moan in pleasure. 

 

His hands slid down - touched over her collarbones, then tentatively drew over her chest, still unsure.

 

"Phoenix..." she whispered, closing her eyes and arching slightly toward him, trembling slightly with excitement.

Franziska’s thoughts were dashed with all these strong emotions running through her, and she'd even forgotten to call him by his full name like she usually did. Not that it really mattered to her in a situation like this.

 

Phoenix sighed when he heard her call him just by his first name, his fingers gently and reverentially fondling her, feeling her nipples slowly hardening under the attention.

 

They continued to kiss and Franziska shivered more as his hands moved on her and slowly she noticed something brushing against her leg. When she glanced down and realized it was _him_ rubbing against her thigh, and this realization made her redden significantly.  

 

Phoenix then slowly began to kiss down her neck, working his way slowly, but surely, to her chest. Every shiver he felt from her body made him even more excited, and made him want to please her even more. With this idea in mind, he scooped her off his lap and lay her gently on the couch, his body against her side as he now kissed his way even lower more comfortably.

As wonderful as it felt to Franziska for Phoenix’s lips to be on her this way, she was instantly distracted by the rough, itchy feeling the fibers on his couch caused her.

 

“Phoenix Wright…your furniture leaves something to be desired.” Franziska said in a quiet but irritated tone, her discomfort obvious on her face.

 

Phoenix felt his face flush with embarrassment, and with a sheepish look he said, “Yeah, I forget that this couch is a bit itchy on bare skin…We could just move inside. The bed is a lot less itchy.”

He then got off the couch and held out a shy hand for her to take. Franziska once again wondered exactly where these activities were going, but the look in his eyes was so gentle that she couldn’t help but trust him. She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up and then lead her further into his apartment.

 

When they entered his bedroom, she saw that it was very simply furnished with one dresser on the right wall, a table and mirror beside the doorway, and a bed right in front of her. It was the bed she was most concerned with at this moment. Phoenix led them to stand right in front of the bed, and then he gave her a shy look, not quite knowing what to do next.

 

Franziksa’s heart started beating even faster as she finally got a really good look at Phoenix, looking undeniably attractive shirtless, and looking back at her with the most adoring, loving look she’d ever seen anyone giving her. She breathed in deep and she got closer to Phoenix, putting a gentle hand on his chest.

 

He then pulled her against him, into a passionate kiss, enveloping her into a warm embrace, shivering a little as he felt their bare skin coming into contact as they kissed. Franziska carefully ran her hands over the muscles of his back, enjoying the way she felt them tense as a result of her touch.  

Finally her hands came into contact with the hem of his pants and they trembled with nervousness since she wasn’t sure what to do next. Phoenix was just about as nervous himself, since he didn’t want to end up pushing her to do anything she didn’t want to. But, with her so close to him, he knew that he definitely couldn’t resist her.

 

He picked her up and gently lay her on the bed, then crawled to lay beside her. Phoenix then resumed kissing her, running hands over her body in gentle caresses, the sensation of her soft skin under his fingertips driving him wild. Franziska moaned softly in response and her hands moved on his body as well.

 

With her heart beating uncontrollably fast, she broke the kiss with him to look into his eyes, her hand trembling as she reached forward shyly to brush the obvious bulge in Phoenix’s pants. She was rewarded with him gasping, closing his eyes, and pushing himself a little more into her hand, desperately wanting more. She then tried to caress him, not sure if what she was doing was right, but she couldn’t deny that she liked the expressions she was seeing on his face.

 

Phoenix let out a low groan as she continued to move her hand on his arousal, it having been much too long since he last felt someone else touching him this way, leaning even closer to her to meet her lips in a desperate kiss. Now his hands were shaking as he continued touching her, slowly undoing the clasp on her skirt and pulling it down.

 

Now that she was only in her underwear, she felt noticeably more vulnerable, but she couldn’t say that it was a bad kind of vulnerability. She decided to follow by undoing the button and zipper on his pants and pushing those down as well. More his body was revealed to her as he kicked off his pants, and she moaned as she took the sight in.

 

Another person never excited her in this way and she shivered some more as she carefully ran her hands down his sides to rest on his hips. With ever less clothes in the way Phoenix wrapped her in his arms and kissed her with abandon, his desire so strong, it felt as though it was literally pumping through his veins, every moment they spent touching making him feel ever more intoxicated.  

 

Finally he moved one of his hands and laid it on her thigh. She shuddered and looked at him nervously, not knowing what to expect. Though lust was obvious in his eyes, so was the way he loved and adored her, so this made her feel comfortable enough not to tell him to stop.

 

Taking a deep breath, he began to slide his hand up the smooth and soft skin of her thigh, his heart racing faster the closer he got to her crotch. When his hand came into contact with her underwear, he felt her moisture and he moaned just knowing that he was pleasuring her this much.

 

Franziska gasped loudly as his hand moved on her, the sensation running like an electric shock through her. Seeing her reaction, he continued to rub her and he began to place wet kisses on her neck.

 

  “Phoenix…” she moaned loudly and shamelessly, never wanting him to stop.

 

Phoenix moaned back in response, stopping in rubbing her for a moment, looking her in the eye as he gently propped her up and then began to push her underwear down. Franziska found herself shuddering again as those large blue eyes met with her own. She trembled in nervousness when the underwear was off and he finally saw all of her.

 

His eyes slowly moved down her body, and she felt him trembling a little as well, and her anxiousness grew. She kept hoping that he would like her, not sure if she could take any sort of rejection in her most vulnerable state. He finally met eyes with her again and gave her a tiny smile.

 

  “God, you’re beautiful, Franziska…” he whispered in a tone of adoration.

 

To this, Franziska smiled back in relief and ran her hands back up his back. Phoenix returned his hand where it was and continued to rub her, locking her lips with his again. With the way she reacted to him touching her now, and how it felt to touch her with no clothes in the way caused him to groan into the kiss he was sharing with her.

 

Franziska had never expected that any of this would happen at the end of her date with Phoenix, but now she could focus on nothing else but the pleasure that was being pushed through her body. As he continued to rub her, suddenly he just found a spot that caused her to gasp and eyes to fly open in surprise, her body arching toward him.

 

  Then her eyes fluttered shut again and she moaned in a pleading tone, “Phoenix…”

 

Phoenix heard her and he rubbed even faster, hitting that same spot over and over until Franziska just couldn’t take it anymore. She cried out and gripped him tightly as she came, not loosening her grip on him until she had come down from her high. It was many moments and heavy breaths later when her mind and voice returned to her. When she opened her eyes, she saw Phoenix smiling down on her, and she smiled back at him.

 

But when her eyes strayed downward, she could see that he was still quite obviously aroused. Wanting to return the favor, Franziska grabbed a hold of his desire and gave it a firm stroke. At this sudden movement from her, Phoenix threw his head back and groaned, now realizing just how badly he wanted her.  

 

She, in return, wanted to see all of him, so she began to push down his boxers, although she fumbled slightly in her nervousness. Not wanting to put things off, he helped her remove them. When he was completely naked, Franziska felt herself shudder slightly. He was undeniably an attractive man, no question about it.

 

With that thought in mind, she grabbed a hold of his arousal and began to rub him quickly, and even if her grip was awkward, she made up for it through sheer enthusiasm. Phoenix had to say that the sensation of her touching the bare skin of his desire was the best thing he’d felt in a long time, and it wasn’t long before his hips were unconsciously moving into her hand.

 

Her face was determined as she kept stroking him, finding it extremely interesting the way that his arousal pulsed every time she moved her hand, and definitely enjoying the expressions on his face and sounds that he made. She felt a strange sense of accomplishment and power just knowing it was her causing these reactions from him.

 

Phoenix tried to hold on as she touched him, wanting to prolong what he was feeling as long as he possibly could, but he finally realized that he could not delay his orgasm a second longer.  

 

It suddenly hit him that he should give Franziska some sort of warning, especially since she’d never done this before, but he was a bit late, only able to gasp out, “Franziska, I’m gonna — ”

 

She looked at him questioningly in the split second before he came, but she gasped in shock when his come shot out suddenly, ending up on her chest, and a little on her arm and then on his bed sheets when she had the sense to try dodging it.  

 

Phoenix was too lost in his ecstasy for a few moments to realize the mess that had been created, his eyes closed as the shocks and shivers coursed through his body, taking deep breaths and slowly coming down from his high.  

 

Finally he cracked his eyes open, letting out a contented sigh. It had been so long since he last experienced this feeling, and he was so thankful that he could experience this with someone he cared about. But when his eyes really focused on her, he saw she had come all over her, and had the most shocked expression on her face.

 

Unable to control himself, a little chuckle escaped him, the humorousness of the situation making him ignore the fact that his chuckle may bring him negative consequences involving a whip. He was brought out of his thoughts when she raised a threatening eyebrow at him, and he quickly silenced his laugh.

 

“Ahh…” he then said awkwardly, not knowing what to say to her next at all, just hoping he wasn’t in for a whipping.

 

She surveyed the expression on his face, knowing he really thought he was in for some punishment, but in reality, even if this mess resulted, she felt empowered, knowing that it was only her that made him come. This thought made a smirk come to her face when she finally spoke, a bit of humor in her tone.

 

"If you know what's good for you, you will direct me to your shower, Phoenix Wright." 

 

With that, he gave her another one of those big grins that made her heart skip, got off the bed, and held out a hand for her to take.

 

* * *


	13. Torn - Chapter 13

** Chapter 13 **

 

Phoenix could feel a slight spring in his step as he made his way inside his office in the morning.  He might have been almost an hour late for work, but he really couldn't have been in a better mood.  His date with Franziska went spectacularly well, as well as what happened at the end of the date...

 

His cheeks went a little red as he thought about it, how close they were, how they touched...he shook his head to stop thinking about that, not wanting Maya to see him that embarrassed.  He finally made it to the door, entering the office with a big smile on his face.  Nothing would be able to get him down that day.

 

Seeing Maya at her desk, he said cheerily, "Hi, Maya."

 

Maya looked up from the notes she had been scribbling to watch as Phoenix practically bounced into the office with a bright smile on his face. "Your date with Frannie must have gone well." She commented.

 

She felt split in the matter of Nick's love life. While she was happy that Frannie and Nick were happy, she felt incredibly sad over Mr. Edgeworth's pain. If Frannie only hadn't liked Nick, then things would have been easy to solve, but now there were three people. A love triangle. And she hated geometry.

 

"It really did.  It went much better than I was expecting!" Phoenix said, mildly surprised at how happy he sounded even to himself.

 

"That's great Nick." She realized that her voice didn't have her usual spark, if he asked, she'd say she was tired. She made sure that he couldn't see her notes, her diagrams and her dried tears on the papers. She had cried over her inability to so something about it all. She didn't want to bring Nick down, but she was tired and sad, for his sake and for Mr. Edgeworth's sake.

 

Even if he was in a fantastic mood, he realized that Maya was just a bit less chipper than she usually was.

 

"Is something wrong, Maya?" he asked with mild concern.

 

"No no, Nick. I'm just a bit tired, everything's fine. Really, I promise." She smiled, she probably looked as tired as she felt. But she wasn't just tired, she felt emotionally drained. Maybe she should go back to Kurain and... no. that would be running away. She would just as well do spiritual training here in order to clear her mind.

 

Phoenix's concern grew, knowing that not much put Maya in such a mood, and something really must be going on.

 

"Are you sure?  I mean, if you want to talk about anything, you know I'm here."

 

"Yes I... well actually... It's like this! I have this... uhm...problem going on and uh... it's kind of... related to uh... love and I'm not sure how to fix it and I keep trying to come up with solutions but nothing works and I... I'm just so tired." Keep the vague thing going Maya, Nick doesn't need to know that the problem involves him.

 

Phoenix sat down in front of Maya and he spoke in a slightly hesitant tone, "Umm, well, I'm really no expert in these sort of things, but I'll help the best I can.  Who is it that you like?"

 

"Wha..? No, wait I...! Who said anything about...! It's not me its...! I mean... No!" She felt her cheeks heat slightly. She couldn't think straight, late nights pondering over the love geometry she had found out about had definitely left her too tired to think straight.

 

Phoenix chuckled a little, finding it a little funny that it was usually him that was sputtering incoherently at Maya's questions, so he decided not to push it, because he knew how it felt to be on the hot seat, so to speak.

 

"Well, okay, you don't have to tell me who it is.  What's the problem then?"

 

Maya ground her teeth together. "Look, this one person uhm... sort of... had this thing for one person who freaked out and uhm... things got kind of bad... and then... the person with the thing got a thing for another person, but the first person's first thing was like regretting the whole bad reaction but it was too late because the thing the first person had, uhm I mean.-.. the person thought that the first person didn't have a thing any more but just a thing for the third person and the third person had a thing for the first person who might have a thing for the second person who definitely has a thing for the first person and the thing is... uuh... what was I talking about?"

 

Phoenix's face scrunched in confusion, the meaning of what she said lost on him near the beginning of what she was saying.

 

"Ummm...I'm...not quite sure.  You sorta lost me at the beginning." Phoenix said, looking a little sheepish.

 

"... well drat! That's the only way I can explain it... I think." She looked thoughtful while biting her lip. How was she supposed to explain this to Nick? How could she explain it? He was happy with Frannie... wasn't he? "So uhm... how do you feel about Frannie...?"

 

Phoenix broke eye contact with Maya, feeing embarrassed at the sudden question from her, his face reddening a little and a smile tugging at his lips.

 

"When she took care of me after the accident, I was really shocked, but after that, something definitely changed between us.  I'd seen how caring she could be, and...I don't know, the way I saw her changed.  And Maya..." Phoenix's face had reddened even more, but he kept talking, "When we touched...I can't even explain how it felt...I think I love her."

 

Maya stilled, he loves her. Oh no. She... none of her diagrams and equations could handle this. She'd have to redo them all, all her plans and all her notes. "That's... that's great Nick. That's really great." She smiled. It was great, but it was terrible at the same time.

 

"Even if she gets too happy with that whip at times, I really do love her." Phoenix added, his grin growing, spacing out for a moment as he thought about Franziska.

 

He couldn't help that he was acting like a teenager in love, it just had been so long since he last had something like this with another person.

 

"I... I have to go train. My spiritual powers have been dropping lately and... and I need to clear my thoughts." She started walking towards the door. "I'll see you later, alright Nick?"

 

"Umm, okay." Phoenix said, shocked at how suddenly Maya wanted to leave, "Just give me a call if you need anything, okay?"

 

"Yeah, sure. Same goes for you. Later." She walked out the office door and closed it with a bang. She needed training and she needed sleep.

 

* * *


	14. Torn - Chapter 14

** Chapter 14 **

 

Over the time that they had been seeing each other, Franziska had found Phoenix to be one of the most fascinating people she'd ever met.  Someone so selfless and sweet, going out of his way just to make others happy.  Sure, she found this to be foolish, but when he looked at her with his large blue eyes filled with obvious affection for her, this silenced her reason quickly.  
  
She knew in the time that she had been seeing him, she'd been intrinsically changed.  She no longer just looked at cold, hard facts in situations, trying to look at them in a more well rounded way.    
  
_That fool has definitely rubbed off on me, no doubt._ she thought with a smirk, as she made her way up to his apartment to see him, knocking at the door sharply at seven.  
  
A von Karma was never late...it was just below her.

Phoenix hurriedly ran around his apartment, making sure that everything was absolutely spotless before Franziska arrived.  He was mostly keeping busy in order to keep his mind off of what he had called her over to his apartment for.

 

_Tonight's the night._ Phoenix thought to himself nervously, as he set the table.  _Tonight I find out if Franziska can truly accept me, past and all._ He really did love her, and because he loved her so much, he felt that she needed to know this about him.  The fact that he used to be in love with her "little brother."

 

Actually “used to” was a bit of a stretch.  Those feelings were so strong, he believed they would never really go away.

 

A sharp knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts, and caused him to clumsily drop the silverware he had in his hands onto the table.  "Coming!"  He yelled towards the door, as he looked up at the clock on the wall.

 

_Seven P.M. Right on time._ Phoenix thought.

 

He made his way to the door and inhaled a deep breath, trying to calm himself so as to not appear _too_ nervous.  Placing his hand on the doorknob, he opened the door and smiled at the woman standing before him.

 

"Hello, Franziska."  Phoenix said, trying to hide his uneasiness.  "I'm glad to that you could make it."

"Hello, Phoenix Wright." she said in a crisp tone.  
  
She stepped into his apartment and waited for him to return after he'd finished closing and locking his door.

 

"Ah, can I take your jacket for you?"  Phoenix asked, holding his hand out.

Franziska slid off her coat and handed it to him.  As he was hanging her coat up, she looked around and noticed that he'd really tried to clean up before she came over.  She knew this because she'd seen the place when he didn't know she'd be coming over, and this caused her to smirk.    
  
"What is the disaster that we will be calling dinner tonight, Phoenix Wright?" she said suddenly, amusement touching her tone.

Phoenix closed the closet door after hanging up Franziska's jacket, and scratched the back of his head hesitantly.  "Is spaghetti okay with you?"  He asked nervously.  "I'm not really much of a cook, but it's about the only thing that I can make.  Well, decently."  A small blush formed across the bridge of his nose.  "If that's not okay, we can always order out if you like."

"Nonsense.  I will be the judge of how good this cooking is.  I am sure you made it to the best of your abilities." she said, her tone softening just slightly, realizing that Phoenix must be nervous about whether his cooking would meet her standards or not.  
  
Now, whether the cooking really _did_ meet her standards was another story, but if it was edible, it would be good enough.

Phoenix let out a sigh of relief.  His heart leapt just a little bit at the fact that Franziska was willing to try out his cooking.  

 

"Great."  Phoenix said, in a much cheerier tone of voice.  He clasped his hand around Franziska's and led her towards the small table, set for two, in the kitchen.  "Come have a seat.  I have to take the garlic bread out of the oven, but we'll eat shortly."

"Alright." She took a seat at one of the chairs set out for the two of them and waited.  
  
She had to say that the food actually smelled pretty nice, so he could not have messed up so badly.

Phoenix set to work, serving food for the both of them.  He piled spagehtti onto each of their plates, topping it with sauce and some parmesan cheese.  A slice of garlic bread on each plate and a glass of wine completed the service, and Phoenix finally sat down opposite Franziska.

 

"I hope that you like it."  Phoenix said anxiously, as he raised his wine glass.

She raised a teasing eyebrow before she took a bite and said, "We will see."  
  
When she tried some, she was pleased.    
  
"This is adequate, Phoenix Wright." she said, eating more with a small smile on her lips.

A grin made its way across Phoenix's face, both relieved and happy that Franziska didn't object to his food.  Relaxing a little bit, he started to dig into his own plate of food as well, pushing aside the thoughts of _why_ exactly he had invited Franziska to his apartment for dinner in the first place. 

They finished their meal without much talk, and as time went on, she noticed that Phoenix seemed anxious about something, but she wasn't quite sure what.  Over all of this time with him, she'd learned to pick up accurately on all of his moods.  Not that the fool was very good at masking his emotions, but still.  
  
Patting her mouth dry, she said with slight concern, "Is something troubling you, Phoenix Wright?"

Phoenix dropped his fork in surprise, making a loud clanging noise as it rattled against the plate.  He was somewhat amazed that Franziska could read him so well, but then realized that they _had_ faced off against each other in court several times before.  Plus, in all the time that they've spent together, it's reasonable that she's picked up on some of his nuances here and there.

"I... um..."  Phoenix stuttered.  He put his hands in his lap, took a deep breath and started to speak.  "I actually invited you here tonight because... I have something that I want to discuss with you."

Franziska raised an eyebrow at him in slight suspicion and said, "Oh?"

"It... Well... I'm not sure how to start."  Phoenix said as raised his hand hesitantly to the back of his head, nervously scratching at the base.

 

Phoenix took a deep breath and said, "Well, Franziska, I really... I really care about you.  But there's something that I feel you have to know before this relationship goes any further."

Franziska started feeling a sense of dread at seeing Phoenix's hesitation, but she decided not to jump to conclusions, waiting to hear everything he did before she reacted.  She did not want to end up looking like a fool in front of him if her conclusion was wrong, so she waited.  
  
"What is it, Phoenix Wright?" she asked, looking at him a bit more suspiciously now.

Getting a little more nervous at seeing Fransiska's slightly worried face, Phoenix continued on.  "I... Before we started going out, I had feelings for someone else.  They didn't feel the same way about me, so nothing ever happened between the two of us.  But..."  Phoenix's eyes darted to the side as he continued to speak.  "This person is very close to you."  His voice trailed off as he looked down, his hands in his lap.

Franziska scrunched her eyebrows in thought, trying to go through every person she knew as he continued to speak, but everything stopped when he made his last comment.  There was only one other person than Phoenix that was 'very close' to her, and for a second, she didn't want to believe it was true.  
  
"Is this some kind of joke, Phoenix Wright?" she said in disbelief.

Phoenix blushed slightly and said, "I assure you that this is not a joke, Franziska."  He wrung the napkin that had previously been in his lap, in his hands.  He inhaled once more and said quietly, "I... I was in love with Miles Edgeworth."

She had already come to that conclusion before he said it from his clues, but to hear him say it out loud was just a whole new shock all together.  
  
"Miles Edgeworth?" Franziska could just repeat almost numbly, trying to digest this new and shocking information the best she could.

Phoenix could see that Franziska was a little upset at this news, but continued on.  "I confessed my love for him, but he turned me down, flat."  He chuckled slightly, now being able to laugh at what had been such a horrible, heartbreaking day in the past.  Phoenix looked up at Franziska, meeting his blue eyes with her own and said earnestly, "But I want to let you know that _you're_ the only one I want to be with."

Franziska said nothing in reply, only raising an eyebrow at him.  She wasn't so sure about this, and now the nagging thought of... _did he only fall for me because I was the next best thing?_   started to needle her.

Phoenix started to get a little flustered at the raised eyebrow directed towards him, and started babbling.  "I mean, I think I started to fall in love with you when you took care of me after the accident.  You didn't _have_ to do what you did, you could have just left me there, but out of the kindness of your heart, you didn't.  And now that we've been able to spend so much more time together, I've found that I really _do_ care for you, Franziska."  Phoenix reached across the table in order to grasp her hand in his.

 

"I just felt that you needed to know, because I didn't want to hide anything from you.  I don't want there to be any secrets between us."  Phoenix looked into Franziska's eyes once again, trying to express what he just said, wordlessly.

Franziska looked back across at him with some harshness, but she didn't take back her hand.  She had undeniably fallen for him by this point, so her feelings for him were something she'd have to contend with as well as his feelings for her.  
  
But she felt herself melting at the way that Phoenix looked at her, knowing there was no way he could lie to her.  That look was so earnestly honest that she could not deny it.  The look in her eyes softened.  
  
Giving his hand a squeeze, she softly said, "You were right to tell me.  It would have displeased me to have found out otherwise."

Phoenix sighed a giant breath of relief.  All of the stress and nervousness that he had been feeling, was instantly lifted with that statement.

He started grinning and clasped his other hand around Franziska's so that both of his hands were now surrounding hers.  Phoenix said happily, "Oh, I'm so glad Franziska.  I wasn't sure how you were going to handle this information."

She gave him a small smile in reply, knowing how hard this must have been for him to tell her, so she decided not to really give him a hard time over it.

"Although..." her smile turned into a bit of a smirk, "Some...physical evidence to back up your case would not hurt."

Phoenix smiled, as he released his grip from Franziska's hand and stood up slowly from the table.  He made his way over to where she was sitting, and looked down at her.  He grinned as he said, "Evidence, huh?  I think I can provide you with that."

He leaned down towards Franziska's face, and placed his hand on her chin, in order to tip it upwards.  He dipped his face down even further and pressed his lips against Franziska's, closing his eyes in the process.

And Franziska accepted his kiss, just happy she did not have any cause to whip him this evening...just yet.

 

* * *


	15. Torn - Chapter 15

** Chapter 15 **

 

Phoenix paced anxiously on the beach where he and Franziska had gone on their first date, the ring he had purchased weighing heavily in his pants pocket.  It wasn’t every day that he tried proposing to the most beautiful woman in the world.  Well, at least he thought she was. 

 

The two of them were dating for a good six months, so he figured that it was a good time to move forward.  There wasn’t a single question in his mind about whether he loved her or not.  Over all this time, he’d seen sides of her he’d never thought existed.  And though those moments were extremely rare and brief, Phoenix cherished every one.

 

It made his heart skip as he remembered the times when she’d give him a genuine smile rather than a condescending look or a mocking smirk, and this made him feel overcome with affection for her.

 

But as much he was in love with her, there were still his underlying feelings for Miles that pushed from his subconscious.  No matter how in love he was with Franziska, he still loved that man deeply.  He was sure that his feelings for Miles were so strong that they would never really fade.   

 

Sometimes he wondered how things would have been different if Miles actually returned his feelings, but he didn’t think too far down that line since it never did anyone well to dwell in the past over things that might have been.  He decided to just focus on the fact that he now had a wonderful woman in his life that he was ready to spend the rest of his life with.

 

He loved Franziska just as much as he’d ever loved Miles, so he figured that he could be a lot worse off right now than he actually was.  It was these thoughts that caused him to spend a part of his savings on an engagement ring that felt like it was out of his price range.  He’d also kept his proposal plans secret from Maya and everyone, not wanting anyone to accidentally spill the beans to Franziska before it was time…and he also wanted to keep the news from reaching Miles as well, not wanting to make things even more awkward between the two of them than they already were.

 

He was sad to realize that their friendship had never been the same since the day he’d revealed his true feelings to Miles, and he wasn’t sure what he could do to repair things.  It was hard enough dealing with things himself, so he wasn’t sure what more he could do anyway.

 

“Phoenix Wright.”

 

The voice of the very person he was waiting for brought him out of his thoughts, and he turned toward Franziska, an affectionate grin coming to his face when they met eyes, and he softly said, “Hi.”

 

“There had better be a good reason you asked me to foolishly drive all the way out to Santa Monica to meet you when we could have more easily met at one of our apartments.” Franziska said with an eyebrow raised, but her voice lacked any sort of bite, said more in humor than in annoyance.

 

Phoenix approached her slowly, feeling his heart practically beating out of his chest in nervousness.  This was finally it.  All of the preparing and planning in his mind for this moment suddenly vanished.  He was only left with his affection for her and the ring in his pocket.

 

Taking her hands, he spoke gently, “Do you remember that we had our first date here?”

 

Not missing a beat, she replied, “Of course, you fool.”

 

Though her response seemed harsh, Phoenix could easily see the warmth in her eyes, and this gave him the strength to continue.

 

“In all the time we’ve known each other, you’ve always helped me out when I’ve gotten in trouble, and I’ll always be thankful for that.  And then, in the time we’ve been together I’ve seen what a wonderful, caring person you are, and I’ve always felt so lucky to have you in my life.” Phoenix felt his eyes tearing slightly as he said all of this, taking a deep breath as he steeled his courage for the most important part.

 

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she tried to figure out where this was going, the look in his deep blue eyes telling her that it really could only be going one way.

 

His voice began to quiver as he got to the moment of truth, and he gripped her hands just a little more tightly, “I…ahh, I-I wish there was a better way…t-to tell you how much I love you, b-but this will have to do.”

 

She looked deep into his eyes and her intensity made him shiver.  He loved how she could do that to him.  He never broke eye contact with her as he let go of one of her hands and got down on one knee.  He fumbled in his pocket for the ring box and struggled to pop it open with one hand.

 

“Frannie…” he said softly as he looked up at her, his eyes looking bright with emotion, “There’s nothing I’d like to do more than spend the rest of my life with you.  Will you marry me?”

 

When she got over the shock of actually seeing the ring and being proposed to, a grin of unadulterated joy came to her face and she replied in definite but controlled excitement, “Yes, of course, fool.”

 

Phoenix’s heart was beating straight into his throat as he waited for her reply, but upon hearing it, a grin that was no less happy came to his face, and he carefully slid the ring onto her delicate finger.  Then he quickly stood up and took her in his arms, enveloping her into a tight and warm embrace as the sun began to set on the beach, wishing that he never had to let her go.

 

 

* * *

 

The week after Phoenix had proposed to her, Franziska felt herself being in a much better mood than usual, the usual antics of her brainless coworkers not even getting on her nerves like they usually did.  She kept the news of her engagement to herself though, not much of a person to spread personal information around.  
  
Picking up some case files on her desk that she had gathered when Miles had asked her to for one of his current cases, she made her way to drop them off at his office.  She halfway wondered how he'd react to the news, but she decided that she would only volunteer it if he asked her directly.  
  
Knowing him though, he'd probably catch on quickly.  She walked up to his office door and knocked.

"It's unlocked," Miles called from his desk, frustrated with the case he was working on. He hoped that the files he had asked Franziska for would shed some light on the matter.

"Miles, I have the files you asked for." She replied as she made her way inside, walking confidently up to his desk and placing the files deliberately in front of him with her left hand, "Surely they will have the information you are looking for."

"I hope so," Miles said.

 

He was about to look at the files she brought for him, but something shiny caught his eye.  An investigative glance told him that it was a ring.  A ring on her _left ring finger_.  This caused a pang to shoot through his heart.

 

"Interesting ring," he noted politely, trying to keep the pain out of his voice.

With a small smirk, she replied, "Indeed."

After being silent for a moment, she added, "That fool Phoenix Wright finally proposed to me this last weekend."

Miles forced a smile. "Congratulations," he said, hoping his voice sounded warm. Inside, he felt torn up. He had lost his chance with Phoenix, fool that he was, because he had let his own shock and pride get in his way. Too late, now, to worry about that - he had to be supportive. If not for Phoenix, then for Franziska, he would pretend, at least, to be happy.

"Thank you." Franziska replied.  
  
She studied Miles closely.  Something felt off.  Most people wouldn't have caught it, but this was her brother, one of the few people in her life that she felt close to.  She'd caught little things here and there every time Phoenix and their relationship had come up in conversation over the time they'd been dating.  
  
And then there was what Phoenix told her about his past feelings for Miles.  Could that be the reason for Miles' strange behavior whenever the defense attorney was mentioned?

Miles kept silent, trying to find the words. Under her gaze, though, that was hard. Franziska was one of the few people that could see right through him to his core if he wasn't careful.

"Are you really okay with this, little brother?" Franziska asked, trying not to sound too patronizing.

"Yes, of course," Miles said, trying to sound natural.

"In spite of how big a fool that Phoenix Wright is, I love him." Franziska said, sounding unusually vulnerable.

"I know," Miles said. "And I know that he feels the same way for you. You two will be happy together, I'm sure of it."

 

It felt like a dagger to his heart to say it, but he knew it was what Franziska needed to hear from him.  It wasn’t as if he deserved Phoenix after rejecting him unnecessarily.  What, did he expect Phoenix to just wait around his whole life until he was ready to come around?  As ridiculous as that sounded even to himself, he felt that way when he’d first learned of Franziska’s relationship with the defense attorney.

"I hope so." Franziska replied thoughtfully.  
  
The strange feeling was still there even if he'd assured her nothing was amiss.  
  
"And what of you, little brother?  Have you some fool you could be happy with?"

"I've found no one yet," Miles said vaguely. "Perhaps in the future."

 

Raising an eyebrow, Franziska decided to drop the subject since he seemed uncomfortable about it, and she did not think highly of prying too much into other people's business.  
  
"I hope so." she said finally, "I will leave you to your cases now."

"Alright," Miles said. "Have a good day, Franziska," he said.

"Good bye." she said with a small nod, and then made her way out of the office.

 

Miles watched her leave and when his door was once again shut, he let out an anguished sigh.  If this wasn’t a sign that’d he’d lost Phoenix for good, than nothing was.  And really, he had no one to blame for any of this but himself. 

 

For all of these months, he’d kept his feelings in, but this was one blow that he wasn’t sure he could take.  He knew that there was no way around it now.  He had to tell Phoenix the truth, no matter what the outcome.  The feelings were getting harder and harder to push aside over the time he had been with Franziska and now hearing this was the last straw.

 

He didn’t expect to win Phoenix over, he just had to tell him how he felt, for his own piece of mind.

 

_I had him and I threw that away due to my own insecurities._ Miles thought in regret, _I just have to get this off my chest, and then I have to move on with my life. I have to._

 

With that, he pushed the thoughts out of his mind, deciding to get back to work, knowing that any further thought on the subject would only cause him pain.

 

* * *


	16. Torn - Chapter 16

** Chapter 16 **

 

Sometimes Phoenix wondered why exactly he let Larry push him around, but he thought that since it was his birthday, he wouldn't fight with him.  Larry had sent him down to his apartment basement where he had stashed some "special beer" he wanted to consume at his party, and he'd sent Phoenix to go and get it.

 

He quickly walked down to the basement from Larry's third floor apartment, just wanting to get it as quick as possible, and get back to the party with everyone else.  The longer he left Larry alone with Franziska, the more he felt that that they'd soon be mourning his death rather than celebrating his birth.

 

Miles quickly followed Phoenix down to the basement. He needed to talk to him, and this was probably the only chance he'd ever get. If he didn't do it now, he probably never would, and after watching Phoenix and Franziska for months, he’d finally built up the courage to approach Phoenix, especially since he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold what he felt inside.

 

_Oh if only Franziska had stayed in Germany._ It felt cruel to think that, but at least he would have had a chance to fix it all before she came into the picture. He sighed and walked faster.

 

When he reached the basement, he thought he heard footsteps behind him.  Turning toward the sound, he was surprised to see it was Miles.

 

"Edgeworth?" Phoenix said in question.

 

As he studied Miles under the pale yellow light, he felt his heart beat a bit faster.  He was certain he'd never seen Miles look at him this intensely.

 

"Wright, I have... some things I need to discuss with you." Miles bit his lip and grabbed a hold of his own arm, a sure sign that he was nervous or uncomfortable or uncertain, or all three at once.

 

Phoenix could just look at him for a moment before saying, "Yeah?"

 

"I... I'm not sure how I should say this but... I need to apologize to you, Wright." _Alright, good start Miles, don't chicken out now. Just keep going and everything will be fine. Everything will be fine._

 

"What?  About what?" Phoenix said, his eyes narrowing a little in concern.

 

"It's... about what you told me months ago. I reacted... less than amiably. And I... I regret that." _Keep going Miles, ignore the fact that he's looking at you. Ignore it, but keep going. Keep talking._

 

Phoenix's eyes went wide and he felt his heart clench.

 

"Wha-what?" He couldn't even say another word, and he just stared at Miles in shock.

"I... I was... shocked... and I..." He cleared his throat, still not looking at Phoenix. "I'm afraid I might have hurt you and I... I never meant for that. I would never... I..." What the hell was he supposed to say now? What was he supposed to say?

 

***

 

Franziska had just about enough of the things coming out of the mouth of the fool in the orange coat, and she was so close to just whipping him straight into the ground.  She suddenly stood up from where she was sitting, making her way straight down to where Phoenix supposedly was getting this beer.  She thought he was taking much too long coming back up, so she would remedy this by whipping him along.

 

***

 

Phoenix was now finding it hard to breathe, his heart aching at this sudden confession from Miles, especially after everything he now had with Franziska.  He just looked at Miles, all his words gone at the tidal wave of emotion he was suddenly under.

 

"I... I know it is probably not a good time what with... Franziska but... I haven't... I haven't been able to muster the courage until now and... I had to do it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself otherwise." He kept his gaze firmly locked on the ground. He didn't want to see Wright's face, he was sure the man would look disapproving or angry.

 

***

 

Franziska finally made it down to the basement, surprised to catch sight of her little brother down there with Phoenix, and she was about to call to them to get their attention, but something made her stop.  The expressions on their faces were odd, to say the least, so she stayed silent a moment to find out what was going on.

 

***

 

"Miles..." Phoenix said, his voice quivering.

 

His heart and mind were racing.  What could he do now, what could he do?  He'd told Franziska he wanted to be with her after telling her what had happened with his feelings for Miles, and that hadn't changed, even to this moment.  But, with Miles opening up to him like this, his heart was breaking.  In this second, he wanted him so badly, he couldn't think about anything else.

 

Miles took a deep breath and went for the plunge. "I'm sorry for my reaction when you told me about your feelings. I was afraid then, but I... I do love you. And I know it's unfair of me to be saying this now but... I do. So much." There, he said it, and he'd even managed to look at Phoenix as he did. The other had a decidedly strange facial expression.

 

Phoenix couldn't breathe.  He heard the words from Miles he'd wanted to hear for years, and he heard them at the most inopportune time.  But his mind was so much behind his mouth and his heart, he started speaking before he could realize what he was saying.

 

"I love you, too.  I love you..." Phoenix said, just staring longingly at Miles.

 

Miles stared at Phoenix in awe. He WHAT? Miles felt his body move almost on its own, and suddenly, he was standing almost chest to chest with the other man. "Phoenix..."

 

With Miles getting so close to him, and calling him by his first name, Phoenix immediately teared up, and his mouth ran ahead even more, "I love you, I always loved you, I never stopped."

 

Franziska's mouth dropped open.  She couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing between her little brother and the man she loved.  But she was rooted to the spot, something still keeping her quiet.  She could see the pain on both of their faces, so she just watched.

 

A small part of his mind was frantically telling him that he shouldn't be doing this, but the rest of him simply refused to listen, couldn't listen. He didn't deserve it, he knew he didn't deserve it. But he couldn't help himself.

 

"I'm sorry." He kissed Phoenix with those words.

 

Phoenix sobbed softly against Miles' lips and his hands flew up and clutched Miles as close to himself as he could, losing a bit of control over himself as well.

 

Franziska didn't think she could watch another second, this being more torturous for her than she could imagine, but her feet were still rooted there.  How did Phoenix not tell her the whole truth?  She wished she knew before.

 

He shouldn't be doing this, he really shouldn't be doing this. He was going between his sister and her fiance. But he... he couldn't stop. He kissed Phoenix deeper and cupped his cheek. He couldn't stop it, even if he wanted to.

 

Phoenix gasped for air, and he kissed back desperately, his hands running up Miles' back into his hair.  The only thought in his mind in that time was, oh God how much he wanted him.  He loved Franziska, he really did, but the sleeping fire for Miles was awakened with this kiss.

 

Miles felt so guilty, how could he do this to Franziska? And after hurting Phoenix how... did he simply live to hurt others? He imprinted the taste and feel of Phoenix's lips into his mind before he broke for air, panting heavily.

 

Seeing Miles looking at him like that, it was so far from his mind they were in the basement of a friend's apartment complex while his fiance was upstairs waiting for him.  He could only listen to his body.  When they broke their kiss to catch some air, he dived right back in, pressing his body even closer to Miles', feeling like there was no way to get close enough, pressing his lips softly to Miles' neck.

 

* * *

 

Franziska finally couldn't take it anymore, swiftly turning on her heal and practically running back up the stairs to Larry's apartment, stopping by the door for a moment to wipe away any angry tears running down her face and to compose herself before she had to interact with anyone.  She definitely will be speaking to Phoenix about this later.

 

* * *

 

Miles knew he shouldn't be doing this, but Phoenix's desperation fuelled his own. His arms slipped around Phoenix's waist. He pulled him even closer before capturing the other's lips in a bruising kiss. He really shouldn't be doing this.

 

Phoenix's breath was coming out in desperate pants and soft moans as they continued to kiss and feel.  He could feel his tears drying on his face, but he couldn't even bring himself to care beyond where Miles was touching him in the moment.  As guilty as he felt about this, he was so unbelievably turned on.

 

They needed to stop, they had to stop. If things went any further than this, if the kisses got any hotter and the touches any more desperate, then nothing would be able to make him stop. Miles knew it, but he couldn't. If Phoenix pulled back, then he would too, but now...

Phoenix's hands then moved to begin to undo the buttons on Miles' dress shirt as they continued to kiss, just wanting to touch him so badly, his hands trembling with desire and with guilt for wanting this at all.

Feeling Phoenix start fumbling with the buttons on his shirt made Miles' hands immediately find their way to the t-shirt that Phoenix had tucked securely into his jeans. Miles' mind was split in two, one half was running around screaming about how he shouldn't be doing this while the other was screaming for him to hurry up.  


His trembling hands started to tug the t-shirt from the jeans. Miles felt desperate to touch Phoenix's skin. Oh god. He shouldn't be doing this.

Phoenix's body shuddered as he felt Miles trying to tug his shirt out of his jeans.  With his desire pushed up a notch, his hands trembled even worse as he struggled to get those buttons open.  It was wrong, but in this moment, there wasn't a thing he needed more than touching Miles and feeling his skin under his lips.

Miles could hardly contain the shiver that ran through his body as he felt his hands finally touch the soft skin of Phoenix's back underneath the t-shirt. His kissing became even more insistent, he couldn't help it. As much as he loathed himself for it, there was nothing he could do to stop himself. He needed it and that scared him.

**  
**Finally getting a few of the buttons open, Phoenix hugged closer to Miles, pressing his lips to Miles' neck and down to his collar bone as the prosecutor touched his skin.  
  
"Miles..." Phoenix moaned softly.

Miles had a hard time trying not to simply rip Phoenix's t-shirt to shreds. Ignoring the guilt that weighed so heavily on his conscience, he started to try and get the damned t-shirt off of by sliding it upwards as slowly as he could do it. As his hands reached the contours Phoenix's ribs, he started to kiss and suck on his neck.

"Nnngh..." Phoenix groaned softly when he felt Miles' lips on him, and he finally managed to push Miles' shirt open, rubbing his hands all over the prosecutor's back and chest, unable to get enough of the sensation.

The feeling of Phoenix's hands running over his skin nearly made Miles growl and bite a lot harder than before. He was lucky to keep himself under control enough to simply bite lightly rather than biting down hard enough to draw blood.  


His hands roamed further up Phoenix's upper body until his fingers touched Phoenix's collar bones. One hand went down to grasp at Phoenix's hip and then Miles pushed him up against the washing machine behind him, locking Phoenix once again in a hot kiss.

Phoenix felt his body nearly crumple against the washing machine at this sudden onslaught of pleasure, and he pulled Miles against him forcefully to grind against him, but all of this movement caused some of the beer cans sitting on top of the washing machine to topple down.  Probably some of that "special beer" that Larry wanted him to go down here to get in the first place.

The sound of all the beer cans crashing to the floor shook Miles out of the passion induced haze that had invaded his mind and he suddenly became painfully aware of what he was doing. He flung himself backwards, panting harshly and desperately searched for something to stare at. Anything but Phoenix. Oh god, what had he done?

Finally getting a moment to breathe, his mind at last caught up to him. What was he doing down here?  He was making out with someone, his fiance’s brother no less, when his fiance was right upstairs.    
    
"Miles, we shouldn't....w-we can't." Phoenix's tone was guilty, and he stayed silent for a moment before adding, "But I don't take back that I love you...it's just...I love her too...I love her as much as I love you..."

 

Miles took a deep breath as the both of them got their shirts back in order. He almost felt grateful to the beer cans. "I know, we shouldn't. I'm sorry." He hadn't meant for this to happen, he had only meant to tell Phoenix about what he felt, no more.

 

Phoenix also took in a deep breath.

 

"I need some time to think, Miles." he spoke with a sigh, unable to believe how much he'd gotten carried away in the moment.

Miles nodded mutely. Of course Phoenix needed to think, this whole thing had become an even bigger mess than it was before. He had been keeping Maya from telling Phoenix for months. And then he'd done it himself. He would have said something instead of just nodding, but his throat felt hoarse and he didn't know what to say. What was there to say?

Phoenix looked at Miles, his guilt and desire for him mixing into something that just confused him even more.  He raised a shaking hand to touch Miles' cheek one last time, feeling a shock when their skin made contact.  He quickly took his hand back, feeling like he'd lose control of himself again if he kept touching him.

Miles felt his self-control become shaky, or shakier, as Phoenix touched him again. He had to bite his tongue hard in order to stop himself from taking Phoenix into his arms. He really shouldn't. Maybe they wouldn't stop at all the next time.

Taking a deep breath he spoke finally, "W-we should get back upstairs.  F-frannie would be waiting for me."  
  
They had to get out of that basement before anything else happened, no matter how much Phoenix wanted more to happen.

Miles nodded while rubbing his neck slightly. "Don't forget the beer." If they came back without the beer, things would definitely look suspicious. He felt his hands twitch, he wanted to touch Phoenix so badly, but he held himself back.

Phoenix brushed past Miles to grab a six pack of the beer that was still intact, and he shivered even at that contact.  He was definitely much too worked up to think straight right then.  Giving Miles a smoldering glance, he quickly took the lead back up to Larry's apartment.

Miles shivered when Phoenix's body brushed against his and from that look. He took a calming breath before following Phoenix back to the party.

 

* * *


	17. Torn - Chapter 17

** Chapter 17 **

 

Phoenix carried the six pack back to Larry’s apartment. The music was so loud he couldn't hear his or Miles' footsteps anymore. As he opened the door, a wall of sound hit him and second later came Larry's excited yell of "Oh Nick! Dude, you're back!" He brought the beer into the apartment and barely heard Miles close the door.  
  
Miles marched straight up to Larry and told him that he would be departing now and wished him a happy birthday one more time before hastily leaving the apartment. Or more like, fleeing it.

Franziska watched Miles' hasty retreat from the party from afar, knowing why he wanted to leave so quickly.  She was barely keeping her emotions under wraps as it was, so she thought it'd be best if she and Phoenix left as well.  She had to talk with him right away.  
  
Taking deliberate steps toward Phoenix, her whip lashed out and wrapped around his arm.  When the whip was securely wrapped, she tugged it to make him stumble in her direction.  
  
"I want to leave this party right this instant." she said in a very threatening tone, glaring at him.

Phoenix recognized that tone of voice. No questions and no disobedience. He gulped and nodded, wondering what had put her into such a bad mood. Too much Larry exposure perhaps?  


"Okay, I'll just go tell Larry..."

"Do so hastily." she said, practically snarling at him.  
  
Then she released him from the whip, but she tugged it back so that it snapped against his chest in a way that she was sure was painful.

Phoenix nodded and rubbed his chest gingerly. She sure was angry... she couldn't... she didn't know what had happened... right?   
  
Phoenix said his goodbyes and hurried back to Franziska. He opened the door for her and waited for whatever she might do.

She glared at him as he opened the door for her and then stalked toward her car without looking back at him, sure he was following behind her.  When they finally got to the car, she let him in and got in the driver's side and began to drive without a word to him.  She was saving all of her words for when they reached his apartment.  She would have plenty of words for him then.

Phoenix was silent during the ride back to his apartment. He almost wanted to ask what had gotten her so upset, but he didn't want to evoke even more wrath in her. Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned, as the saying goes. And Franziska usually has more violent and harming fury than most women. He knew he'd better be careful right about now.

After many tense and silent minutes in the car, they finally reached Phoenix's apartment complex.  She parked in an available spot, and then also led the way back to his place, her anger just about ready to boil over.  She glared some more at him as she waited for him to open the door.

He scrambled for his keys, feeling her glare on his back. It was making him nervous. It was almost as if she knew what had happened in the basement.

 

_Oh God, oh dear God. If she knew then...!_ He thought nervously as he swung the door open and went inside, closing it behind the both of them.

When Phoenix's door was securely closed, she walked toward him with the deliberateness that might be compared with a lion approaching its prey, and she firmly grasped his shirt to pull him toward her.  
  
"I saw what happened between you and Miles Edgeworth tonight, Phoenix Wright." she said in a soft but extremely dangerous tone.

Phoenix felt her hand grip his shirt. Oh boy, when Franziska started to use her own hands, then it was bad. He heard her words and he flinched.  
  
"I...!" What could he say to that? What could he possibly say to that? It was a nightmare come true.

Letting out a low growl, she let go of his shirt and pushed him away from herself hard enough to make him stumble slightly and then turned to take a few steps away from him.  Then, without warning, her whip lashed in his direction and then wrapped around his neck.  With practical murder in her eyes, she gently tugged the whip towards her so that he was dragged by his neck in her direction.  She pulled hard enough to make him feel some discomfort, but not enough to choke him.  
  
"You lied to me.  You failed to tell me that you still loved him." she said, pain and bitterness obvious in her tone, shooting daggers at him from her eyes.

Phoenix was, to say the least, scared out of his mind. He knew she could get scary but this... Having something wrapped around his neck like this was quite frankly terrifying. And knowing that the person who's pretty much holding your life in their hands is so angry with you... well, it's not a comforting thought.  
  
"I..." He coughed. It was kind of hard to speak. "I didn't think... it mattered... he... he didn't... he..." He coughed again. "He had a fit when I told him... I never... never..." He wheezed, tried to breathe more easily. He wouldn't choke, but it was quite close.

She tugged him even closer to her, pulling just a little harder, then removing the whip from around his neck.  She breathed heavily from her anger.  She looked deeply into his eyes, and she could see fear there.    
  
With some angry tears beginning to gather in her own eyes, she softly spoke, putting a gentle hand on his cheek, the action completely not suiting her anger, "I saw how you looked at him, Phoenix Wright.  There is no question of your feelings for him.  But what of your feelings for me?  Obviously they are second fiddle to those for him."  
  
She finished her statement in a hard tone, pushing his face to the side with force.  She turned her back on him then, not wanting him to see the tears now flowing down her face.

Phoenix took in a sharp breath the moment the whip left his neck. He massaged it gingerly as he coughed a few more times, feeling the whiplash from the way she shoved his face to the side.  
  
"It's not like that! It's not like that at all, Franziska! I may have loved him first, but I love you just as much. And that won't change, even if you beat me to an inch from my life."

More tears flowed down her face at those words from Phoenix and her shoulders shook a little from her sobs.  She'd never been in love before, and the pain she felt right now?  Getting shot was nothing compared to this.

"I'm so sorry... I wasn't... I wasn't thinking straight... I'm just so... I'm so confused right now. And I'm sorry. I know I hurt you, I never meant to do that." It was hard for Phoenix to find words to say, knowing that there wasn’t much he could say at this point to make this situation any better.

And as Phoenix struggled to speak, more and more tears fell onto Franziska’s cheeks, and finally she just lost control of herself.  Her whip fell from her hand to the floor, and she fell to her knees, then sobbing into her hands.  She could deal with physical pain, but emotional?  She didn't know how to begin dealing with it.

Phoenix had never seen Franziska this vulnerable before, and it hurt him, knowing it was him that reduced her to this state. He almost wished that she would whip him some more rather than cry like this.  He definitely didn’t like the sight of her crying.  He fell to his knees behind and gently wrapped his arms around her sobbing form. Perhaps she didn't want him to touch her right now, but he wanted to comfort her, somehow.

Franziska shivered when she felt Phoenix put his arms around her, and she snuggled against him the best she could with him hugging her from behind.  He may have caused her this pain, but she needed this, needed _him_.  She'd never depended on another person before in her life, and for her to have put her heart in his hands, it was all she wanted in this moment...just put his arms around her and let her forget things happened just for that moment.

He rocked her gently in his arms as he felt her snuggle up against him. "I'm so sorry Franziska. I'm so very sorry." He whispered into her ear, over and over. He was such a horrible person to have caused her such pain. It was all his fault.

She cried until she couldn't anymore, until she was too weak to do anything.  
  
"Phoenix..." she whispered hoarsely, closing her eyes for a moment, leaning her head against his strong shoulder.

He held her close, as close as possible without causing discomfort or harming her. She whispered his name. "I'm so sorry Franziska. I'm so sorry. I love you and I never wanted to hurt you. I'm so sorry." It was all he could do.

All she could make herself do for many moments was remind herself to breathe.  Finally, she worked up the strength to turn herself to face him, burying her face in his chest.  Even after seeing what she did between Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix, she loved him too, loved him more than she'd ever loved anyone in her life.  Any remaining tears on her face then got transferred to his shirt.

He felt those tears soak his shirt and it weighed heavily upon his heart. He was the one responsible for this. It was his lack of self control that had allowed this to happen. It was his fault. "I'm so sorry."

Raising her blotchy looking face from all the crying, she looked into his eyes, seeing that he seemed to be in just as much pain over this as she was, and this made her heart clench.  She quickly brought a hand up and anchored it behind his head in his hair, drawing his face to hers for their lips to meet in a salty, sad kiss.

He wasn't sure why she would even touch him after what he did, and the fact that she did made him feel even guiltier. It made him realize that she did truly love him, and yet, he loved someone else equally much as he did her. And the knowledge of that was tearing him apart. Slowly, painfully.

She kissed him, trying to memorize the sensation of Phoenix near to her, his lips on hers.  These thoughts made her a little more desperate, and her kiss as well.  She wanted to prove to Phoenix Wright that he was sadly mistaken in thinking that she might not love him anymore.  He would not be rid of her that easy.

The passion and desperation of her kiss was almost making him dizzy. He kissed her back, trying to prove to her that he did indeed love her. He never wanted to hurt her, never.

Franziska kissed him until her breath ran out, when she pulled back and took a deep breath.  She then realized that her knees were hurting from supporting her weight all this time, so she carefully extracted herself from his arms, picked up her whip, and stood up.  She waited for him to do the same and then she spoke.  
  
"I love you, but I need some time.  I will call you soon." she didn't sound bitter as much as she sounded tired.

He nodded, solemnly. "I understand. I love you too." That was all he said, he made no move to touch her again, if she ever wanted anything to do with him, it was up to her. He had no intention of forcing her into anything.

She gave him one nod in return and walked quickly out of the apartment, not looking back.

 

* * *


	18. Torn - Chapter 18

** Chapter 18 **

Maya had left Wright & CO law offices in a hurry. Nick had been a depressed wreck and he refused to tell her why. Ever since Larry's party, he'd been sulking and done nothing but stare at his phone.  
  
Maya hurried towards Mr. Edgeworth's office. They had kept in contact since that fateful phone call, and she figured that maybe they should see each other more often face to face. Besides, Nick's depressed behavior was getting her down.  
  
She'd knocked on the office door, and when she heard Mr. Edgeworth telling her to come in, she did.

Miles had been feeling quite down himself since Larry's party, continually kicking himself for losing his self control and putting Phoenix in such a position.  It didn't matter that Phoenix said he loved him back, he had no right to come between him and fiance the way that he did.  And Franziska had somehow found out about it, he just knew it.  She seemed just as down as he did, although most other people wouldn't pick up on it as well as he did.  She was his sister, after all.  
  
 _If I hadn't come on to him that way, none of this would have happened..._ Miles thought with a small sigh.  
  
When he heard Maya come to his door, he called her in.

Maya froze the moment she stepped in through the door. _Houston_ _, we have a problem._ ANOTHER depressed person. They were never ending weren't they? Nick was so down he hardly ate, she could see Frannie moping on her way over, and now Mr. Edgeworth. What was wrong with the world?  
  
"Mr Edgeworth... are you okay?"

"I suppose I'm fine." he said in a tired but polite tone, not elaborating on his situation, "What brings you to my office, Maya?"

Maya sighed. "Nick's so depressed that I'M getting depressed. It's depressing. And Frannie is depressed and so are you. Is there some sort of depression bug going around or is there something going on with the three of you that I don't know about?"

Miles looked carefully at her for a moment, and he figured that things couldn't get any worse, so he the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them, "I told him.  The night of Larry's party."

Maya gasped. "You... you told him? Well... what happened? How could that have made Nick and Franziska depressed? I mean... if he turned you down then only you would be depressed but not them... what... what happened?"

"He didn't turn me down...I...we…umm…kissed." Miles said, sounding ashamed, looking away from Maya.

Maya gaped at him. What the..?! "You... you... you kissed?" she sputtered. Holy shit on a stick from Kurain. "Wha-what? H-how? I mean... what?"

"I...I didn't mean for any of it to happen..." Miles said, his voice quivering just slightly, "I only wanted to tell him how I felt because I couldn't hold it in anymore.  But...he told me...he told me he loved me back, and I...I just couldn't control myself, we couldn't..."

Maya hid her gaping mouth behind her right hand. Oh dear God. "And... and Frannie found out?" That must be it... right? That's why they're all depressed. It all made sense now.

Miles put a frustrated and helpless hand to his forehead and nodded, "Yes."

"Oh... oh dear. That is... bad." What the hell was she supposed to say to something like that? What was she supposed to do about something like this? The drama llama was working fulltime it seemed.

"This whole thing is my fault.  If I hadn't opened my big mouth..." Miles said, sounding both guilty and ashamed now.  
  
But, since he'd kissed him and felt Phoenix reciprocating his feelings, he couldn't get it out of his head, the sensations of Phoenix's lips and hands on his body crowding all of his thoughts.

Maya was a woman of instant decisions. She walked up to the desk, pushed papers and pens aside, climbed up on it, sat in front of Miles before she hugged him.  
  
"No, it's not your fault. You did the right thing to tell Nick. What happened after that is a guilt shared between the two of you. It's not guilt meant only for you, the guilt of that belongs to you both and that is the truth."

Miles was shocked when Maya suddenly shoved his work across the desk and then climbed on top to give him a hug.  He stiffened at first when he felt her arms around him, but he reached up to awkwardly pat her on the back in return, knowing that she was trying her best to make him feel better.

Letting out a sigh, he replied, "I guess you're right."

**  
**"I know I'm right. In things like that, unless you forced yourself on Nick, which I know you wouldn't do, the entire thing was both your fault. One person cannot be responsible for a mutual kiss." She felt that his posture was stiff, but she refused to let go. He was going to relax and feel better if she so had to force him to do so.

He let out another sigh, and relaxed a little in her arms, his guilt over the situation dissipating slightly.  
  
"I just don't know what to do about this situation.  I might have irrevocably ruined my sister's relationship with Phoenix." Miles said with regret.

She felt a smile tug on her lips as he gradually relaxed. "Don't worry Mr. Edgeworth. I'll fix it even if it kills me. I'm going to talk to Frannie later, don't worry. Everything will work out in the end. You'll see."

"Thank you..." Miles said, sounding truly grateful, glad he could finally get everything off his chest.

Her response was simple. "What are friends for?" She smiled. She knew that she had already fixed part of the situation.

 

* * *


	19. Torn - Chapter 19

** Chapter 19 **

 

Maya had left Nick in the office (he was still moping) she had walked past Mr. Edgeworth's office (he was moping too) and was now heading to Frannie's office. She looked at the door. She needed to hear Frannie's side of the story, she needed to know how she had known what happened between Nick and Mr Edgeworth. If she knew everyone's side of the story (she had gotten Nick's version by recording his muttering during his moping time and then listening to it, writing it down, and fixed it until it made sense) then she'd hopefully be able to fix this whole mess. She knocked on the door.

Franziska also felt extremely depressed, hardly even able to focus on her work.  When she couldn't concentrate on her work, she knew something was very wrong, usually nothing getting in the way of her perfection at work.  Hearing a knock at her door, she wondered what idiot she would have to deal with next, but she didn't even have the energy to sound angry when she spoke, just sounding irritated and tired.  
  
"Come in."

All she could think about was what she saw between Miles and Phoenix, and then Phoenix's words to her later that night. 

Maya slammed the door open. Then she realized to whom she was about to speak, so she quickly shut it gently. Oh no, Frannie was moping too. The mope bug was definitely biting.  
  
"Frannie! I need to talk to you."

"What is it, Maya Fey?" Franziska said, putting a hand to her forehead, not sure she had the energy to deal with the spirit chaneller at this moment.

"Frannie... I know what's going on with you, Nick and Mr. Edgeworth. And I need to hear your side of the story. I think it would be good for you to get it off your chest. We can sit on the couch and you can tell me all about it. I know how to listen, honest." She smiled, a little sadly and a little supportive.

Giving Maya a glare, Franziska then spoke harshly, "I have no desire to talk about how I found my fiance telling my brother he loved him and then kissing him, Maya Fey."

"I know Frannie, but I think you need to. Bad things are never easy to talk about, but it's good to do it anyway." She refused to back down, things were going to work out on their own, or she was just going to have to make them work out.

Franziska's glare at Maya intensified, but she did not argue.  She silently got up from her desk and sat on the couch in the room.  She motioned for Maya to join her, but she still said nothing.  Franziska secretly did want to talk to someone about this situation, feeling quite confused over what she should do. 

Maya sat down next to the silent woman. They were almost the same age, but it seemed to be a large gap. Maya put her arm around Frannie's shoulder, despite knowing that Frannie never was all that big on physical contact.

Franziska's lip quivered just slightly at the contact from Maya, feeling much too vulnerable to throw the hand off of her like she usually would have done.  No matter how much she liked to tell herself she could deal with problems on her own, she could tell this was one time when she really did need the support.

Maya noticed Frannie's quivering lip. If Frannie was on the verge of crying, then it was BAD.  
  
"Frannie, you can tell me everything you know. I won't judge, and I can help, honest. I'll fix this mess if it kills me."

Finally, Franziska broke eye contact with Maya and said with some bitterness, "I was a complete fool for not seeing the connection between Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth."

"No Frannie, you weren't. I didn't see it either, not until Nick started to avoid Mr Edgeworth without trying to hide it very well... or maybe he just isn't good at hiding it when he avoids someone... I just thought they were childhood friends y'know?" She kept her gaze locked on Franziska's face.

Franziska tried to keep strong in her tone, but it cracked just slightly with emotion as she replied, "I saw the way they looked at each other, Maya Fey.  Both of them meant it, I could easily see."  
  
Then her face got a little angry as she continued, "It was no small kiss either."

Ouch. That had to hurt. "I know both of them meant it. But Nick also means it when he says that he loves you. He came in to me after your first date practically beaming, like a neon light. And he told me when he first fell in love with you as well, you're there in his heart. And that's real too."  
  
Oooh, a big kiss huh? More ouch.

Franziska's heart clenched when Maya told her how much Phoenix loved her.  She still loved him, and even if she felt confused, she had to say when they hugged and kissed after the incident, she could feel his love as well.  What did it all mean?  What did Phoenix want?  What did she want?  It frustrated her to no end that even after thinking about these things for a week, she couldn't come up with any suitable answers.  
  
"Phoenix Wright told me he felt confused when we talked after." Franziska said, her tone now just tired.  
  
She wanted him, she wanted to be with him so badly, but she wasn't so desperate that she'd guilt or force him into staying with her, so she was at a loss as what to do next.

"I know, I've heard him mutter and mope the entire week. Frannie, he loves you, but he loves Mr. Edgeworth too, and it's really doing a number on him. If he hadn't known that Mr. Edgeworth loved him back, he'd be just fine. But now... he's really confused, because he loves you both just as much, and he doesn't want to hurt either of you. He doesn't know what to do either."  
  
She bit her lip, she felt sorry for all of them.

Franziska was silent for a moment, taking this in, hurting even more when she realized how much Phoenix must be hurting as well.  
  
"I see." Franziska said simply.  
  
It was true.  What would she do if she loved someone and they turned her down, only to reveal their returned feelings when she was with someone new?  She realized she was more hurt over the situation because Miles Edgeworth just happened to be her little brother, making the cut a bit deeper.

"And... Mr. Edgeworth is blaming himself for it all. He didn't mean for this to happen, he thought Nick had moved on. He just wanted to apologize for the way he reacted when Nick first told him. And then... things got out of hand. He's hurting as much as the two of you are."  
  
She had to tell Frannie about Miles too. Even if Frannie might blame him, she had to know that he was kicking himself over the whole thing.

To know that her little brother was hurting over this as well, it was almost too much for Franziska.  All of them obviously felt the same.  They all were in pain, and she knew that both Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth were extremely sorry over this.  
  
"You are right.  We are all fools." Franziska said, feeling a little frustrated that there was no easy solution to this problem that involved her whip.

"Yeah, even me. I mean... I knew about Mr. Edgeworth's feelings before you and Nick even got together, but I couldn't tell.  If I had known this would happen... oh man. I wish you all could just date each other and then there wouldn't be a problem." She sighed. That was a ridiculous thought.

She sighed, frustrated. "That's a ridiculous idea! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let my mouth run off with me like that."

Franziska was silent for a moment before she said, "I have to think some more about everything."  
  
Then with hesitance, she continued, "And...thank you for coming to speak with me.  I think I understand the situation with greater clarity now."

Maya nodded, slightly unsure. "I'm glad I could help, even if it was just a little bit." She smiled, a bit brighter than before. She hoped that everything would be alright, oh she hoped so badly.

"I have work to finish now.  We can continue speaking later." Franziska said, just wanting to be alone now that she knew the full truth.

"Oh, and tell Phoenix Wright to stop being such a moping fool.  Assure him that I will call him soon." Franziska said, her voice softening a little when she mentioned Phoenix.

"Aye aye Ma'am!" Maya saluted with a bright grin. "See ya later Frannie, I hope you figure something out. Bye!" And then she skipped out of the office.

 

* * *


	20. Torn - Chapter 20

** Chapter 20 **

 

Franziska thought thoroughly of the solution she came up with for their problem.  It was by far the best, and it would lead to the least amount of pain for everyone.  She knew that there was no way she would give up Phoenix without a fight, and the last person she wanted to have such a fight with was Miles Edgeworth, knowing that he also had trouble bonding with others due to their upbringing.  
  
She called both Phoenix and Miles to her apartment, not letting either know that the other was coming.  She didn't want either one to decline coming since she knew it was necessary for both of them to hear what she had to say.  She knew she was entitled to at least that much.

Miles had been surprised when he got that phone call from Franziska. From the way she had been acting recently, he knew that she knew about the whole thing that happened between him and Phoenix in the basement of Larry’s building. He arrived outside her apartment a good ten minutes early. He never liked being just in time, he preferred to be a bit early. That way, he was never late.

Franziska heard a knock at her door, and she hurried to answer it.  She felt quite anxious about this meeting, and she couldn't wait to get it started.  When she opened it, she was not surprised to see Miles behind the door.  Her father had drilled into the both of their heads that early was on time and that on time was unacceptable.  
  
"Come in." she said in a clipped tone, making way for him to enter before she closed the door.  
  
She led the way to her living room, waiting for him to take a seat before she joined him.  They certainly did have a lot to talk about, and she was a little glad Miles arrived before Phoenix did.

Miles was, to say the least, uncomfortable. He was not quite sure how he was to handle this. Quite frankly, he was almost scared out of his mind. Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. And that scorn was his fault. He gripped his arm as he always did when he was anxious, but he said nothing.

"I know you and Phoenix Wright are quite...deeply connected, little brother." Franziska said, her tone a little intense.  
  
She could see that he was quite uncomfortable, and she had to say she agreed with him.  She was probably just as uncomfortable about this situation, but she knew they had to talk about this now before they were hurt even more.

"..." He said nothing at first. What the hell did you say to a thing like that anyway? He was bad in social situations, and he as even worse when it came to things like this.  
  
"I see..." That was all he could get out. And it was an incredibly stupid thing to say.

"But I do love him, Miles Edgeworth.  I do not want to give him up." she told him, her tone getting a little stronger, not wanting him to question her feelings for Phoenix either.  
  
She said no more, not wanting to say anything else until Phoenix arrived.

"I didn't think you would, Franziska." He was staring right in front of himself. Did she think that he doubted her will to keep Phoenix for even a moment? He hadn't even planned for the... thing that happened between them. And then, he waited awkwardly, not knowing why Franziska was just sitting silently and not saying anything more to him.  
  
 _Perhaps she is planning my perfect murder in her head…_ Miles thought darkly, just waiting patiently until Franziska spoke again, but he knew he had no right to complain in the slightest.

Phoenix was shaking as he stood outside Franziska's apartment. He didn't know what she had decided, and he feared her decision. He wanted to know, but at the same time, he was afraid to know. He knocked on the door.

When she heard the second knock at the door, her heart started beating fast.  The time had finally come, and she hoped that she'd made the right decision. Glancing at Miles' surprised look, she quickly left the room and opened the door.  She could tell that Phoenix looked extremely nervous and anxious, and she so badly wanted to touch him and make him feel better, but she didn't, deciding that they needed to speak first.  
  
"Come in." her voice a low and a little threatening, leaving Phoenix to follow after her and close the door after himself.

Miles flinched as he heard the knocking on the door. Franziska didn't seem to be surprised. Oh no, she hadn't had she? She opened the door, and his suspicions were confirmed. She HAD called Phoenix over. Embarrassment galore.

Phoenix stared as he noticed Miles on the couch. Why was he here? Had Franziska called him too? Oh no... she wasn't going to kill them both at the same time or something was she? He walked in slowly, and stiffly. Oh man, this is awkward.

"Sit down." she said, the threat in her voice not decreasing, looking intensely at Phoenix, leaving no room argument.

Phoenix squeaked but sat down with a visible amount of space in between himself and Miles. This did not need to get any worse.

Letting the awkward silence settle between them for a moment after Phoenix sat down, sitting as well in a chair across from them, she spoke in a hard tone, "I felt we all needed to speak about this, since this situation concerns all three of us."

Miles squirmed and Phoenix did too. They both made it quite obvious that they were not looking at each other. Their eyes were moving nervously around the room, away from Franziska only to get drawn back to her.

She looked only at Phoenix, feeling so incredibly drawn to him, and she knew that she was making both of them increasingly nervous, so she continued to speak.  
  
"I saw you both that night, I heard what you said, and I saw...a good deal more than I was ready for at that time."

Miles froze. She SAW what happened? She didn't just figure it out? She actually saw what went down as it went down? She heard every word? Miles felt ashamed, this was all his fault. And yet... he didn't know what to say.

Phoenix squeaked again. This was so bad, this was so very bad. Man, it was all just down hill. How was he supposed to deal with this? He almost felt as if he was about to have a heart attack.

Then her tone got just a bit softer as she continued again, looking at Miles, "Though it was a painful shock, one thing was crystal clear.  I was foolish to think that Phoenix Wright was completely over you, little brother."

Miles throat contracted painfully. "I...!" He didn't know what to say. He bit his lip, he had nothing to say, he couldn't even apologize, it wasn't his place. Not now.

Phoenix's heart was beating painfully fast in his chest. She wanted to make him suffer, and she was going to break him while doing so. No... Franziska wasn't that cruel. He knew that but... oh god. She wanted to break up with him, he knew it.

He deserved it.

Franziska studied Phoenix closely, and she could see fear, nervousness, and anxiousness all rolled together in his eyes.  She wondered what he was thinking, and she wanted to touch him even more badly than before, but she stayed in her seat and continued to talk, wanting to get everything out.  
  
"Though you have assured me that you want to be with me, I've realized over this time that it would be impossible for you to just forget your feelings for Miles Edgeworth." Franziska said, trying to keep her voice even, but it quivered just slightly with emotion.

The two of them flinched. Phoenix started to chew on his thumb's nail. His eyes left Franziska, he couldn't look at her anymore. He didn't deserve to look at her. "..." He couldn't say anything, he could only concentrate on breathing, and that would just have to be enough.

"When I watched the both of you, I could see that you both meant what you said.  I don't know why you didn't tell me the truth before that time, Phoenix Wright." Franziska said, her voice then turning a little harder, "You and Miles Edgeworth have been connected for quite a long time, and so, it really is obvious that the feelings between you both would be strong."

Phoenix bit is lip. She saw them, that was probably what made him feel the most guilty. The fact that she not only knew about it, but that she had seen it with her own two eyes. "I...!" He didn't manage to squeeze out anything else than that. If he said that it wasn't true, then he'd be lying.

Miles was clenching his teeth so hard he thought he'd smash them together. This was all his fault. If only he hadn't caused this mess in the first place, then Phoenix wouldn't be in the emotional agony he knew he was in at the moment.

Glancing at both of them, seeing how uncomfortable and in pain the two of them seemed to be, Franziska continued on, her tone hard and determined.  
  
"I don't believe I can stand in between you two in good conscience, knowing how much pain it would put you both in to be separate."  
  
She was silent for a moment, to gauge both of their reactions, and then she added a forceful, "...But..."

Phoenix had to admit that she had lost him completely by now. He had no clue what she was going at anymore. It sounded as if she wanted him to be together with Miles, but then that "but" entered the picture, and now he just didn't know what to think anymore. Miles was having pretty much the same reaction as Phoenix, not that either of them knew it.

She got up from her seat and approached Phoenix in what could be interpreted in a slightly threatening way, and then she bent down so that they could be closer to being eye to eye.  She hesitantly reached out her hand, and touched his cheek, feeling a small shiver as she did.  
  
"I know your feelings for me are no less, Phoenix Wright.  Even Maya Fey came to tell me as much." Her voice was even, but her grey eyes sparkled with emotion, being the only part of her that readily revealed what she felt about anything, "And I want to be with you.  Even after what happened."

Phoenix froze when he felt her hand on his cheek. "I... Franziska... I must say that... well... I'm confused. I... the way you were talking... this was..." He couldn't make sense of the situation. A short glance towards Miles told him that the other was just as confused as he was.

Franziska might have smiled at Phoenix's confusion if the situation wasn't so serious, so she pushed forward with what she had to say, hoping that they would agree with her.  
  
Ignoring Phoenix's confusion, she said, "I have thought thoroughly over this week to find a way to solve this problem, and I could only come up with one suitable solution."

"Eh... really?" Phoenix was to say the least still very nervous. He was also a bit curious, though the dread that felt like a chunk of ice in the pit of his stomach kind of cancelled his curiosity out.

"... I see..." Was all Miles could think of saying. What kind of solution was she talking about? Murdering him and burying him in the garden of the house they would live in so that they could feel close to him despite him being gone? Eh, maybe not.

She looked right into Phoenix's eyes, still being eyes that she felt she could loose herself in, and she spoke softly but forcefully.  
  
"You can be with Miles Edgewoth, but I will still be with you."


	21. Torn - Chapter 21

** Chapter 21 **

"I... what?" He stared at his fiance (if she still was) as if she'd grown a second head. "What... I don't... what?" He heard a choked sound coming from Miles, who most likely was as confused as Phoenix himself.

"I want you to be with us both." she clarified simply, her face expressionless, except for her eyes, waiting for his response.

"... I'm not a Mormon you know and... I mean... what?" What the hell was he supposed to say in a situation like this anyway?

Her tone turned hard again as she got up from crouching, then sitting near him on the couch.  
  
"I am leaving this choice up to you.  I will not leave you, and I am allowing you to be with Miles Edgeworth as well, if that is what you want."

Miles stared at his sister. "Wait a minute. What are you saying Franziska? That you still want to date and marry Wright, I suppose, but at the same time... he's free to be together with me? Isn't that like making me the other - uh-...That's..." He wasn't quite sure what it was.  He felt as though he was being made into the “other woman,” but he didn’t exactly want to say that out loud.

"I was shocked at first when I found out the truth of the way you both felt for each other, but with time to think, I've realized that there was no way I could stand between you both if I truly loved Phoenix." she spoke forcefully, "I am fine with this, and now you both need to decide what you want."  
  
Being silent for a moment she added in a threatening tone, "But just know, I will not give you up, Phoenix Wright."

"But... but..." He was stuttering and he knew it. "But how could I possibly make a decision like that? I mean... this is... What... Oh god... I don't know what to do." He buried his face in his hands with a heavy sigh. He just didn't know what to do.

Franziska studied him intently and she bent forward on the couch until she'd drawn quite close to Phoenix, speaking softly but forceful in his ear, "Touch him again, and then tell me you don't know what to do.  I _saw_ you then, and I know you, Phoenix Wright."

"But... how could I ever go along with something like this? It's... it's immoral and... and... and I would be cheating on you... with your adoptive brother! I... that's... how...?!" How on earth could she simply say ' _it's cool, it's fine. As long as I know about it.'_

Miles was sitting and carefully keeping his mouth shut. What the hell was going on inside Franziska's head right now? Not to mention how flustered, uncertain, and ashamed Phoenix was. Miles felt sorry for him, this couldn't be easy.

She continued to whisper, feeling awkward to have Miles hear exactly what she was saying, her tone turning a little impatient, "You are someone driven by your emotions, Phoenix Wright.  You love him and you want him, and you will just snap again."  
  
Resting her forehead on his head for a moment, she sighed softly and continued, "I want you to be happy.  I do not want to see you in pain."

"But Franziska... what about you? How could you possibly be happy if we went into an arrangement like that? I don't want to hurt you." He bit his lip. Life sure was far too painful and complicated sometimes.

"I was hurt when I first found out about your feelings for Miles Edgeworth mostly because you did not tell me the full truth about them, not because you had them.  I...would have been better prepared that way."   
  
Franziska's voice turned a little stronger again as she finished speaking, "As long as I have you, I will be happy.  No one has cared for me the way you have, even with the number of times I've corrected you with my whip and otherwise, nothing has changed.  I can't give you up, I won't!  I'm not such a big fool."

"I'm sorry about that Franziska... I didn't think that it would ever matter so I..." He grew silent. It was a stupid excuse, but that was the reason behind his actions.  
  
"Franziska..." He didn't know what to say to that.

Miles was silent the entire time, wondering if they would ever even ask for his opinion on the matter. He loved Phoenix, beyond reason, but this... A relationship like this... a love triangle that wasn't really working like they should... He grew frustrated with the thought.

Franziska then leaned down slightly to give Phoenix a soft kiss on his cheek, and then when she leaned away from Phoenix, her eyes wandered over to Miles.  She could tell he looked clearly conflicted and frustrated, so she decided it was time to find his thoughts on the idea.  She wasn't sure how well he would go along with something like this, but she also wanted him to be happy, especially now that she knew everything her father had done to him.  
  
"Miles Edgeworth.  I do not want it to seem like your opinion on this matter is disregarded either." she said awkwardly, feeling strange that she was suggesting straight to her brother's face to date her fiance as well.

Miles flinched, of course she would notice. "I... I'm not sure... I don't think... this is... This is definitely something that would be frowned upon by the public. Not that it matters but... How on earth did you of all people come up with something like this?" He bit his lip, and glanced at Phoenix who still seemed conflicted.

"You seem as though you _want_ to be unhappy, Miles Edgeworth." Franziska said, raising her eyebrow at him in somewhat of an impatient manner, "I was having trouble coming up with an idea that would leave all of us the most happy, and strangely enough, something Maya Fey said to me made me think of this."

"I don't deserve to be happy." That was the truth. He hurt people, he had hurt so many people, destroyed their lives and left them in the ashes. He didn't deserve to be happy, he only deserved misery.  
  
"Maya... of course." Who else could come up with an idea like this?

Phoenix frowned. "You're thinking about people whose lives have been destroyed because you are a prosecutor, right? Well... you're an idiot for thinking like that. Think about the many times you've helped me get the guilty party get their sentence rather than getting away. You were a victim of circumstances and you need to stop hating yourself for your early years as a prosecutor." He spoke slowly and carefully. And he believed every word.

"For once, Phoenix Wright is absolutely correct.  Don't be a fool.  You found the perpetrator in many different cases, even at cost to yourself.  You'vesaved me from making the same mistakes in my life that my father made.  You've selflessly helped many others, and you're saying you truly do not deserve to be happy?  You stop with those foolish words from your mouth or else I will _make_ them stop." Franziska gripped her whip tightly, glaring in Miles' direction.

Miles felt like a child, stubbornly clinging to what he believed was the truth. To him it was almost as if they were telling him that, no Santa doesn't exist. Well... if he had believed in Santa that is.  
  
"..." He said nothing, he simply frowned deeper and refused to look at the other two who were currently populating Franziska's living room.

"Miles! We're serious! You need to stop kicking yourself over everything that happens. Far from everything is your fault." He frowned at the other man, quite glad that Franziska was backing him up on this one.

Suddenly feeling angry, Franziska got up from where she was sitting and approached Miles in a threatening way, towering over him, and finally poking him in the chest with her whip.  
  
"There is enough sorrow in the world without your self pity, Miles Edgeworth." she said in an irritated tone, her glare intensifying.

"How can I not feel guilty over nearly wrecking your relationship? How can I possibly not feel bad about that? I deserve to feel miserable because of something like that!" He wasn't as much sad as he was angry at the moment. Were they just writing his actions off as nothing? He nearly ruined their relationship! They're getting married and he nearly ruined that! Were they stupid?

Franziska bent so that she was eye to eye with Miles, and she said in an emotional and slightly irritated tone, "And it was I who ruined your chance for a relationship with Phoenix Wright in the first place.  What of that?"  
  
She poked at him with her whip again and continued, "I also want you to be happy.  How do you think I would feel knowing that my brother was unhappy because of me?"

Miles let out a dismissive snort. "Please Franziska, I handled that on my own considering the way I acted when he first told me about his feelings. You had nothing to do with it... until later." She obviously didn't have all the facts.  
  
He simply muttered when she said that she wanted him to be happy.

Franziska's eyes moved from Miles to Phoenix, hoping that her glare would be enough to convey how she wanted a bit more help with Miles, not sure what else she could say to him, emotions not being her strong suit either.

Phoenix felt like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh Miles... maybe you should... stop... blaming yourself for everything? I mean... I'm kind of to blame for this whole mess too..." He hoped that would be enough.

Now it was Miles turn to look like a deer caught in the headlights. How was he supposed to counter that argument? You can't go against the truth. "I... suppose..." Oh, good job mouth. Way to go to make him sound like an idiot.

Franziska stood up and looked down at him as she towered over him and she said, "I'm glad you've stopped speaking like a fool.  First words of sense out of your mouth since the pity party started."  
  
She swiftly took her seat next to Phoenix again and laid a hand gently on his leg, knowing now that she wouldn't ever be able to make herself separate from him.

Phoenix squirmed some. "..." What to do now? Sure, Miles had gotten the point but... Phoenix couldn’t stand how unhappy he seemed, so he leaned forward and hugged Miles. And he didn't want to let go, neither of them did. So they held on to each other.


	22. Torn - Chapter 22

** Chapter 22 **

Miles had to say that he was surprised over the hug. But he enjoyed it, perhaps a bit too much. He didn't want to let go of Phoenix once they were in each other's arms. Which probably wasn't a good thing considering the fact that Franziska was still sitting there.

Franziska surveyed the situation, and she was even more sure that her idea was a good one as she saw this.  She figured they should have a moment alone to talk about this, so she swiftly got up from beside Phoenix, quickly saying, "I will be inside.  I will give you both a moment."  
  
Before either of them could say anything, she stalked quickly out of the room, leaving them alone.

"Franziska, wait!" Phoenix said, just slightly belatedly when her words registered, but she'd already left the room.  
  
He hadn't completely removed his arms from around Miles, so he sat with his arms partly around him still, suddenly feeling quite awkward.  
  
"Umm..." Phoenix said, feeling uncomfortable now, not sure how to start this conversation.  
  
But the longer Miles was in his arms, he realized that it felt quite nice, just holding him.  He pulled the prosecutor a little closer to him again, and let out a small sigh.  The circumstances leading to this hug were weird, but now that Miles was here, it felt too good to be wrong.

Miles tensed as Franziska left the room. Now there was nothing to keep his self-control in check, and that almost scared him. The silence was awkward, but Miles didn't have any words to dispel it with. He simply marveled at the feeling of having Phoenix in his arms.

Phoenix then began to lightly caress Miles' back, the warmth from the prosecutor practically overloading his senses.  There was no question that he loved this man, and there would be little in the world that would have a chance of making him stop.

Touching Phoenix was slowly driving him insane as he desperately tried not to jump him. He couldn't…not now and not here, in Franziska's living room. With Franziska right in the other room. He couldn't, he wouldn't. He simply held Phoenix tighter instead.

Phoenix breathed in deep when he felt Miles clutching him tighter, now noticing how good Miles’ scent was.  Phoenix let his impulses drive him, and he nuzzled his face into Miles' neck, breathing him in even more.

Miles could feel his self-control being lined up and shot right there on the spot. If only Phoenix would notice that he was, in fact, driving him insane. Feeling Phoenix nuzzle his neck was almost more than he could take. He let his chin rest on Phoenix's shoulder. He turned his head to look at Phoenix. Miles felt his lips brush against Phoenix's neck.

Phoenix shivered when he felt the soft brush of Miles' lips on his neck, his hands moving slowly up Miles' back, rubbing slowly across his neck, and then ending up threaded in his hair.  His lips trembled, he wanted to kiss Miles so badly.  He tried to resist for a second, but he just couldn't.  Using the hands in Miles' hair, he held him steady to lightly brush their lips together.

And the dam that was Miles' self-control broke and the urges he had been repressing rushed out. His grip on Phoenix tightened even more and he kissed back with fervor. One hand stayed between Phoenix's shoulder blades, the other slid down to the small of his back.

Phoenix gasped and arched toward Miles, wondering how he'd so quickly gotten that turned on.  He shoved his tongue into Miles' mouth, all caution just flying out the window in face of his desire, his hands gripping to Miles' back tightly.

They probably shouldn't be doing this right now, but at least Franziska knew about it this time. She had probably felt it coming so that was the reason for her departure. He had a feeling that there wouldn't be much talking going.  
  
He pressed Phoenix back until he had pushed him down on the couch. Was it just him or had the temperature just risen through the roof?

Phoenix moaned softly when Miles pushed him down and he tugged desperately at Miles' coat to get it off of him.

Getting out of the coat without breaking the kiss and with Phoneix's stumbling hands was quite a hassle. It was even more of a hassle to get Phoenix out of his what with the way he was squirming. Stupid clothes, getting in the way.

Phoenix continued to kiss him as deeply as he could, another moan escaped him, his hands moving to unbutton Miles' shirt.  He was having trouble taking things slow since he'd wanted him for God knows how long.

Miles started to tug Phoenix's t-shirt out of his jeans. His hands faltered slightly as he felt Phoenix's hands starting to fumble with the buttons of his dress shirt. He pressed closer to Phoenix, needing more contact.

With trembling hands, Phoenix finally managed to undo three or four of the buttons on Miles' shirt, letting his fingers drag on the skin opened up to him, his fingers tingling wherever they made contact.

 Miles certainly enjoyed the feeling of Phoenix's fingers on his skin. He broke the kiss panting heavily for air before he kissed down Phoenix's neck. He nibbled on it at the same time as he slid one hand up inside Phoenix's t-shirt.

Phoenix's eyes practically rolled to the back of his head and he gasped loudly at the onslaught of pleasure, his body arched and spasmed just a little as a result.  Unfortunately, this caused one of his feet to bump against Franziska's coffee table, and it made a loud thump as it settled again.  
  
Then, her voice came clearly from down the hall, "Keep it down, fools!  I do have neighbors!"

Miles flinched at the sound of Franziska's voice which promptly yanked him back to reality and gave him a more objective view of the situation as it was. And oh boy did he suddenly feel embarrassed.

Phoenix blinked when Miles stopped for a moment, but then Franziska's voice registered, causing him to blush.  He cleared his throat as he sat up again, trying to fix his rumpled shirt a little, not bothering to tuck it back in or put his coat back on.

Miles self consciously buttoned his shirt back up and tried very hard not to look at Phoenix at the moment. He was more embarrassed than he could remember being for a very long time. Life didn't seem to be on his side all too often. He had to say something, but what?

Phoenix took a deep breath as he looked at Miles, feeling incredibly drawn to him, even if he felt a bit embarrassed by the whole premise of the encounter.  
  
"Umm...I think this makes it obvious that we need each other, Miles.  Even if this is kind of weird, I...I don't want to stop." Phoenix said quietly, his voice slightly breathy.

Miles swallowed hard while he carefully regained control of himself. "I...don't either. I've never experienced such a lack of... self control before." He bit his lip. It was true though, he had never been so unable to control himself before. Unless you counted earthquakes and elevators. But those didn't count in Miles' opinion.

With a small smirk on his face, Phoenix replied, "I know, I've never felt anything like this before either."  
  
After being silent for a moment, he spoke awkwardly, "Ummm, so...should we talk to Franziska then?"

Miles fidgeted slightly but nodded. "I suppose we should." He hoped that things would work out alright. If it didn't, he would be the bigger man and stand aside. If he could manage to do that.

Phoenix put a comforting hand on Miles' shoulder for a second, and then he got up from the couch to talk with Franziska.  He walked up to her bedroom door and knocked.  
  
"Come in." he heard her say impatiently.

Phoenix opened the bedroom door carefully and stepped inside, gently closing the door behind him. He felt awkward looking at Franziska after the events that had just taken place in her living room, but he supposed that that was how things were going to be in the beginning of this weird three-way relationship... if it worked out that is.

Franziska got up from where she was sitting on the bed and approached Phoenix.  She had left her whip on the bed, so she was relatively non-threatening as she got close to him.  
  
"What did you decide, Phoenix Wright?" she asked softly, touching his cheek as she looked at him.

"Well..." He scratched the back of his head slightly, feeling nervous while hoping that all of this wasn't some elaborate form of trust and faithfulness check. "We... we decided to go along with you idea... I suppose." He didn't dare look at her now, she was probably seconds from decking him.

Franziska then put both her hands on his face so he would have to look at her.  
  
"I'm glad." she said simply, her voice intense, wanting to assure him that she really was okay with this.  
  
She had no reason to feel insecure since she knew that he loved her.  She felt it in every embrace, every kiss, and even every time he looked at her.  There was no reason to make him and Miles Edgeworth suffer just for her sake.

"Are you sure about this Franziska? I mean... it's a big change and it's...!” He wasn't sure what he wanted to say, not really. He just wanted to know if Franziska was sure that she could deal with this situation, he wanted to know if she really did think that her solution was the best one.

"Shhh." she replied forcefully, putting a finger on his lips to silence him.  
  
She then pulled his head down to hers to meet his lips in a soft kiss.

Phoenix wondered briefly if he would be able to keep his sanity in an arrangement like this, but as she kissed him softly, he figured that if they just tried, everything would work out alright.


	23. Torn - Chapter 23

** Chapter 23 **

 

When Phoenix walked into work Monday morning, he was in a much better mood than he was the whole previous week.  He was no longer dragging himself everywhere, and moping every second.  He had both the people he loved, so now, what really could get him down?  With a smile just touching his lips, he walked into the office and saw Maya at her desk.  
  
"Hi, Maya." his tone was a bit tired, but happy nonetheless.

Maya had been sitting by her desk in the entrance to Wright & CO law offices, she had been filing papers, when Nick walked in. He looked happy, he wasn't moping anymore, there wasn't even a trace of depression left. She narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Alright Nick... what's going on? Tell me the whole story." She refused to be left out of the loop.

His smile grew a little, but he just stuck to saying, "We finally talked.  We've solved the problem."

 

Maya froze. Was he telling the truth? Was he really telling the truth? OH THANK GOD! She jumped out of her seat, ran around the desk and pulled Nick into a bear hug. "Oh Nick! That's so great! And everything worked out alright? And everyone's happy?"

Phoenix laughed and hugged her back, so happy for her support, and it was partly thanks to her that the problem was solved at all.  
  
"Yes, I think so."

"But Nick... how'd you guys manage to make everyone happy? The only solution I could think of was to have you all date each other... and I know that Frannie thought it was ridiculous when I mentioned it... even I thought it was ridiculous..." She looked thoughtful.

Phoenix just laughed again.    
  
"We're all happy now.  Frannie still wanted to be with me.  I was so afraid that she was going to leave me..." his tone turned a little emotional as he spoke, but the smile still stayed.

"Oh that's so good... but what about Mr. Edgeworth? He's happy too right? You're not lying about that, are you Nick? I mean... I trust you but..." She looked at him closely, searching for signs of him being nervous.

"Yes, yes.  He is happy...I don't think I'd be able to feel good about anything if he wasn't happy." he reassured her with a small smile, quickly recognizing how she was trying to test him.

Maya leaned backwards and let out a content sigh. "That's good, that means I won't have to kick butt anytime soon. But I hope you all know that if you ever need anything, you can come to me about it. Hmm... Maybe I should relay that message to Frannie and Mr. Edgeworth too..." She thought about it while biting her lip.

Phoenix smiled big and he hugged her again.  
  
"Thanks for all your help.  Really..."

Maya hugged him back. "Any time Nick, any time." He was her family after all. He was one of the most important persons in her life, like the older brother she never had or something.

And Maya was definitely important to him, and all of them.  Without her persistence in helping them and her support, who knew what might have happened.  
  
 _I probably never would have known Miles loved me back, or Franziska might have ended up leaving me...She saved both our relationships...and I'm forever thankful..._ Phoenix thought to himself, a feeling of joy running through him.  
  
He had Maya and the two people he loved most in the world.  He couldn't imagine feeling any more complete.


End file.
